Silent Song
by JaylatheCerealKiller
Summary: After losing her voice in a horrific incident, Lark tries to forget her past and atones for her sins by taking care of others. However, when she meets the Elric brothers, her life is turned upside down again. Secrets are revealed and danger lurks in every corner. Based off the first anime. Will have original content mixed with canon. Envy X OC later in the story
1. Every Day

Silent Song

Chapter 1: Every Day

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The pipes squeaked as I twisted off the water. I grabbed a towel and quickly dried off, tossing it into the laundry hamper as soon as I was done. Then, I stepped out of the shower, onto the mat I had placed there to prevent slipping. The mirror to my right was fogged up from the hot water I had used while showering, causing the image to be distorted. I rubbed a bare hand across it and looked at my reflection. Waist-length chestnut hair clung my neck, dripping wet. Blue eyes stared back at me, fringed with thick lashes. And on my throat... a scar ran across the width of it. I looked away from it by instinct. It was from my own stupidity; my punishment for what I had done. Yet, it was the same old image I saw every day.

I got dressed, tied a bandanna over my neck to cover the scar, and towel-dried my hair. I braided it loosely while descending downstairs, into my kitchen. My house had two stories, not counting the attic and the basement. My room and the bathroom were upstairs, along with another bedroom and a study. One-half of the downstairs area of my house had the kitchen, dining room, and a half bath. A door in the kitchen led to the basement, which I rarely used.

I made an easy breakfast for myself, and gulped it down. I then prepared breakfast for all the patients. It was laborious work; the season brought in a wave of diseases. The sand from the desert had caused many people to contract bronchitis. It had gotten into people's lungs and infected them. It was easily treatable, but I kept the ones that could develop pneumonia in the house, so I could keep an eye on their condition.

Just about all the rooms were occupied with bronchitis patient, so I had to make a large amount food and tea, which helped clear the lungs. It took me three trips to give them the food, switching between my kitchen and the clinic. After I was done handing out the food, I checked all the patients and gave them their medication.

The first patient was a little girl named Lanna. She had been a sickly child ever since she was born, so I was naturally worried about her. I lifted her arms, signaling her to stand up out of the bed. When I exaggerated my breathing, she got the hint and inhaled deeply. I pressed a stethoscope to her bare back, lifting her shirt to listen to her breathing. It was sounding better than yesterday, but they were still causing me worry. I made a coughing sound, and she did the same. Just as I thought, she still had a wet cough. I pulled down her shirt and put on a pair of medical gloves, before turning back to face her. I tapped on her mouth, telling her to open it. Pointing to my throat and dragging it upwards, I signaled for her to make an "ahhhhhh" sound, so I could examine her throat. She did what she was told and I found that her throat was still inflamed. As I moved away to measure out her medicine, Lanna mumbled, "How long do I have to stay here?"

I smiled at her and held my fingers an inch apart. She sighed, but took the medicine I held out to her, drinking it in one gulp. She made a disgusted face, causing me to laugh inwardly, though more out of nostalgia than it actually being funny. I tucked her into the bed, and then walked out the room to check on the other patients.

Most of the others were in a similar condition, getting better but still causing me worry. I wrote what I thought down on the notebook I always carried with me and ripped out the page, which I handed to the patients. Because Lanna couldn't read yet, I had skipped that step. I knew also sign language; my parents taught it to me, but only a few other villagers knew it as well. I got along well with the ones who did, but the others were all used to my silence, so they took it without much question.

It was the final patient was the one that worried me. He was an older man, around fifty-five or so, named Mark. Though men his age were supposed to be able to defend against something like that, as well as the fact that he was native here, he was turning for the worse. It may have been for the fact that he was a heavy smoker, or just that he had a weaker immune system. As I inspected him, I noticed that he had more trouble breathing than the day before. When I listened to his lungs, they sounded like they were blocked. Mark's cough was extremely bad, shaking his body each time. Yet, he cheerfully struck up a conversation with me after the examination.

"So, Lark, you're sixteen now, right?"

Actually, I was bordering seventeen, but I still nodded my head as I thought about switching his medication. Perhaps I should try to clear the lungs first?

"My youngest son, Alex, is eighteen. That's close. He's a real man, just like his father," Every time he came here, Mark tried to set me up with Alex. I knew Alex: I was the town's only doctor, so I had to know everyone. Alex was a nice person and we played together when we were younger, but I wasn't interested. Getting into a relationship would only distract me. The town's health was my first priority. "You two should see each other more. After all, you are old friends."

I pretended to think about it, just to humor the man, and then shook my head. I walked toward the door and held up a finger, asking Mark to wait for me, while I got his medicine. He, looking slightly disgruntled, waved his hand, only to be interrupted by a series of coughs. The bed shook underneath him each time a cough racked his body. I entered the hallway, wincing when I heard him again. As I walked toward the storage room where I kept the medication, I mentally calculated and measured out the ingredients for Mark's new formula. It wasn't too hard, considering I had used it before.

I worked as the doctor in the town, so I had converted the large house into a pseudo-hospital. The entrance, the house's actual front door, led into a place was like a waiting room. There was furniture in it, so it also doubled as my living room. The hallway was lined with rooms where patients were kept, and at the end of the hall was the door to my actual house, which I kept locked. The room closest to it was where I kept the medicine and equipment. Because I lived in a rural town, there wasn't much equipment, so I used it to dry the medicinal plants and mix the ingredients together to make the medicine. For emergencies, I also had a cabinet in the waiting room stocked with pre-made medicine, gauze, and other medical supplies.

I had an extensive knowledge on plants, and all biological things in general. Before my parents' death, they had taught my sister and I many things. I had taken the medical exam to become a doctor and passed it with flying colors, thanks to my parents' teachings. However, the exam was never "officially taken", meaning that they had somehow acquired the official test without registering. I hadn't questioned it at the time, but now I knew better.

Anyway, I was smart enough to be able pass college by the time of my parents' death, so I was able to continue the business they had started. Everything I knew was taught by my parents, or from books and information I gathered. It was my parents who had converted the house into a healing facility before I was born. The townspeople hadn't questioned my taking over. I was already treating the patients before, so they trusted me.

I quickly and carefully crushed the herbs together, then adding some chemicals that would help as well. When I was done, I had created a bitter potion that had to be taken twice a day for about a week to get rid of phlegm, soothe the inflamed throat, and ward off other bacteria. I wrote down the instructions on a piece of paper and returned to Mark's room.

He had been waiting patiently for me, relaxing when I handed him the potion and the note. He finished reading it, then asked, "Is this contagious?"

I shook my head. He looked relieved. "So my family can come to visit me."

I gave him a smile, jerked my thumb toward the waiting room, and then pointed at the floor with my forefinger, like to say, "They're probably here right now." I wasn't lying. I really could hear people chatting in the waiting room.

After making sure Mark drank the potion, I made my way to the waiting room. Most of the patients' family and friends were there, so I gave them slips of paper I had prepared earlier that had the room number on them. The atmosphere was filled with soft chatter, making the house livelier. I was the only one working there, and the patients got lonely. Their visitors always made their stay easier, hence why I allowed them.

I let out a contented puff of air, and continued to my everyday activities.

* * *

Two people walked through the desert, one in a suit of armor, the other a short blond teenager with a gaudy red cloak. Edward and Alphonse Elric had just come out of Liore after experiencing the world's biggest letdown.

"I thought we finally had a lead on the Philosopher's Stone!" Edward was still complaining about the events that had happened in Liore. They had traveled all the way from Central due to a rumor they had heard that the small desert town was experiencing strange miracles. The brothers had assumed it was alchemy, after all, it was a desert; it wasn't supposed to be so prosperous. They had gone there to find out more.

"Brother, we did kind of get a lead." Alphonse said, surprising his brother.

"And what is that, Al? All priests are fakes?" Ed snorted sarcastically.

"No, the fake Stone did have some qualities of the real one. So, what if we found the person who made it and asked them about it?"

Edward straightened up, but then slouched again. "Oh yeah, you weren't there for the rebound."

"Rebound?"

"When he tried to transmute a gun, the fake Stone rebounded on him and ended up transforming his entire arm into one," Edward explained, shuddering a bit from the vivid memory. "His arm was messed up. There was metal and wires coming out of it. Probably really painful. That stupid Cornello deserved it."

"Oh." Alphonse managed to look disappointed even though he was wearing armor. It was always strange to Ed how his little brother could display so many emotions through the mask of metal.

The brothers continued walking, heading to the nearest town, a small while away from Liore. It was a small rural place, located at the edge of the desert, an oasis of sorts. They needed a place to stay after all that had happened. Overthrowing priests was hard work.

A small sign, with the words: "Welcome to Percole" told the brothers they had arrived at their destination. It was, in fact, an oasis compared to the rest of the desert. There was grass growing through the cracks of the cobble-stoned streets. The townspeople were lively, children running around. It looked quite healthy and prosperous.

Ed was feeling hungry, so he walked to the nearest place that served food, a place called, "Oasis". It was located outdoors, much like bar in Liore. However, it was bigger. Not only did it have stools lining the counter-top, it also had separate tables with chairs. He and Al sat down at one of the tables, and one of the waitresses handed them each a menu. As Edward scrolled through the list, a man walked into town and headed for Oasis. Some men at the bar recognized him, approaching the man with loud greetings.

Edward and Alphonse stiffened when they heard the men ask the newcomer, "How's Liore, Harold? Your priest still performing miracles?"

Harold angrily replied, "That damned bastard was a fake. He was tricking us all along. Now he's left us, and the town's going to crumble again. We would have been better off if he wasn't found out," He quickly downed a couple of shots, before slamming his fist on the counter top. "How in hell will I find a way to help Claire now?!"

"Calm down," one of the man's friends stepped forward. He spoke in a soothing voice, as if talking to a toddler throwing a fit. "If your daughter's that sick, we can take her to Percole's doctor."

"How do you know he's not a fake?" Harold muttered darkly.

"_She_," another man responded. "Has lived here for her entire life. Her parents were the doctors before her." Ed was confused. In such a small town, there were actual doctors?

"Fine," Harold stood up, obviously drunk. His words were slurred and his gait was unsteady. "Let's see how your little miracle worker is."

He turned around, and caught Ed staring at him. "What're you lookin' at?" The drunken man's eyes widened. "You're the one who ruined everything!"

Before anyone else could move, Harold had smashed a bottle and stalked toward the young man. He shook it at the blond, his hands trembling with anger. "We would have been fine without you coming! We needed him! He was our only hope!"

Everyone around the area stopped what they were doing to spectate. Completely oblivious, he lunged at Edward, who was just standing up. Ed was caught by surprise and didn't have time to react, only staring at the man with wide eyes.

"BROTHER!" Alphonse cried as the older man stabbed his brother in the stomach with the bottle. The man's friends tackled Harold to the ground.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" one of them yelled.

"He's the reason Claire's dying! He took our hope!" Harold roared, struggling under his friends' holds.

Ed fell to the ground, blood trickling onto the dirt. He was dead to the world, barely realizing that he had been stabbed. He just eyed the scarlet liquid coming out of his body, like a child hypnotized by bright lights. Unable to rouse his brother, Alphonse picked him up and looked around.

"Where's that doctor you were talking about?!" That questioned was directed toward the man who hadn't restrained his friend. He was standing by the side, pale and unmoving. "Hey! Where is she?!"

The poor man was startled, seeming like he woke up from dream. He glanced at Edward's limp body, then at the suit of armor talking to him. Realizing what he had to do, the older man took off toward the doctor's house with a yell of: "Follow me!"

Al darted after him, clutching his bleeding brother.

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**This is my first ****fan fiction I've actually published. It will probably be long, so stay tuned for more. Favorite, review, follow! Let me know if I did anything wrong.  
**


	2. Meeting the Elrics

Silent Song

Chapter 2: Meeting the Elrics

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**Realized I forgot this in the first chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me. I believe it goes to Hiromu Arakawa. I do, however, own the original content in here, for example, our darling heroine, Lark.**

* * *

The sun was setting as I plopped down onto one of the couches in the waiting room. I had just given the patients their dinner, which again, had been simple. The day had been very uneventful; just people coming by to refill medicine. The visitors had all left to go home, all stopping to thank me for what I had done for them. I had nodded my head, letting them know I appreciated their thanks. Now, I was sitting on the couch, eating my own dinner, my notepad sitting on the table. The entire house was silent, except for the occasional cough.

Suddenly, the front door burst open, revealing Marvin. He was one of the few people who used sign language, making my communication with him easier. I got along well with him, despite the fact he was a bit of a coward. The metallic clanging reached my ears before I saw the enormous suit of armor emerge from my busted door. In its arms was a pale boy, who appeared to be unconscious.

"Where's the doctor?!" I blinked in surprise when I heard a child's voice come from the giant hunk of metal.

"Lark!" Marvin yelled frantically. "A kid's bleeding over here!"

I stood up and clapped my hands twice, telling them I was right in the room.

The armored boy jerked his head toward me and asked, "Is the doctor-"

Marvin interrupted him. "Oh th-thank god. The ki-kid over there got hit by a bottle. He's not doing so we-well!" His voice trembled, pointing to the boy his companion held.

I moved quickly, throwing a blanket on the ground, and then patting it. Opening the cabinet, I got out a bottle of alcohol, some gauze, and a pair of tweezers. When I turned back, the armor had placed his friend onto the cushions. I signed, "Take off his clothes" to Marvin, and ran outside, stopping to get a bucket and a washcloth from the cabinet.

I darted around to the back of my house, where the hose was and filled up the bucket with water. After half the bucket was full, I hurried back inside to find that the boy was stripped down to his underwear. The lower part of his abdomen was bleeding quite heavily, which made me want to ask what Marvin meant by "hit". But now was not the time for my dry humor: a boy was bleeding to his death, while Marvin looked like he was going to faint. He turned to face me, and I signed, with a nit of annoyance, "Get out of here". If he was in here any longer, he would pass out. The last thing I needed was to take care of a grown man who couldn't help.

He understood me and nodded, all but running to get out. I knelt down to the blond boy on the floor.

His breathing was heavy; his face was pale. The armored boy was frantically crying, "Brother! Wake up!"

I dipped the washcloth in the water, and started cleaning the wound, not minding the blood that was staining my fingertips. Once the area was clean, I was able to inspect the damage. It was deep, blood coming out fast. From the look of it, the boy had been stabbed with a broken, glass bottle. His clothes had prevented most of the glass from getting stuck in his skin, but there were a few large chunks of it in his flesh. What worried me most was the fact that he was weakly coughing. Coughing up blood; that meant there was internal damage. Judging by the location, the bottle had punctured the poor boy's stomach.

The boy in the armor must have seen the worried look on my face, because he started shaking me.  
"Please! Please! Save my brother! He's all I have left!"

I threw his arms off of me, my heart wrenching. I knew the feeling of having my family ripped away from me; the need to save the ones I loved. Hearing that, it made me even for determined. The cuts weren't clotting fast enough, and if I tried to place pressure on the wound, the glass would cause even more damage. The only thing preventing him from bleeding to death at this instance was the glass clogging the blood from spilling. There was only one option.

Moving as fast as I could, I grabbed the tweezers and started for the chunks of glass. My hand was steady as I plucked the glass from the flesh of the boy's stomach. The places where I removed the glass started bleeding more profusely.

I took a deep breath, and placed my tweezers next to me. I put my hands together, like a praying position. And I brought them down on his stomach. Blue light flashed around my hands, the sign of something being transmuted. Alchemy.

I concentrated in increasing the amount of platelets in the places that were bleeding, so that the blood would clot. I was also able to mend the organs that were punctured by moving the tissue inside. After that was done, I cleaned the area with water, and then alcohol to prevent infection. The blood had stopped, so I dressed his cuts with the gauze.

Stopping to get a good look at the boy, I noticed that his left leg and right arm were made of automail. I was curious on how he got them, but everyone had their secrets and not all of them wanted them to be told. His face was still pale; his blood needed to be replenished.

I reached over to the table where my notepad and pen sat and wrote, "Do you know his blood type?" The note was given to the boy in the armor, who had been sitting in silence.

"He has type-A blood." He said quietly. I had no fresh blood in storage, so I had to make my own. After washing the scarlet liquid off my hands, I entered the storage room and gathered the chemicals needed to make it. I carefully measured out the formula, put it together in a bowl, then clapped my hands together and transmuted it. The blood was poured into a bag, which would connect to an IV drip. I grabbed the bag and a rack made for hanging IV's , and walked back to my waiting room.

There were no rooms in the hospital part of the house, which meant that I would have to place the boys in my spare bedroom. After cleaning up my long-forgotten dinner, I motioned for the armor-wearing boy to pick up his brother, and led them down the hall.

* * *

Alphonse walked down the hallway, holding his brother. Edward looked like better now that he was no longer bleeding. Alphonse remembered how the girl had scared him when she started pulling the glass out of his brother. The blood had poured out of the wounds with no end, and he feared she was trying to kill Edward. Then she had used alchemy to stop the blood flow, effectively surprising him that she knew alchemy, the astonishment doubling when he realized that she didn't even use a transmutation circle.

Just like Edward.

When the girl reached the end of the hall, she pulled a key from her pocket and unlocked the door. She entered the place, flicking on the light.

It appeared to be a dining room. There was a table set up in the middle, surrounded by four chairs. The light source of the room was a simple, overhead, dome-shaped light. To the left of them was the opening to the kitchen, which seemed really spacious. The girl went into the kitchen, and placed her dishes in the sink. In between the entrance of the kitchen and the wall of the dining room was a staircase leading to the second floor. The door to the bathroom downstairs was on the far right wall. Al was struck by how cozy the house looked.

He suddenly realized that he barely knew the girl's name and she he.

"Your name is Lark, right?" he asked. She turned around and nodded in response. "I'm Alphonse and that's my brother Edward."

Al took the time to actually look at her, since his mind hadn't been so clear when he first met her. Lark was wearing a doctor's coat over a simple yellow dress, both which were stained with Ed's blood. She wore a pair of black flats, and on her neck was a dark bandanna. Her hair, escaping the braid it had been put in, was a rich brown with a hint of red. The pieces framing her face were slightly wavy. What caught Al's attention were her eyes. They were an icy blue, yet they showed so much emotion. Her eyes at the moment were large and innocent, as if asking him if he had more questions.

"Are you the only doctor in the town?" he inquired again. And again, Lark simply nodded.

"How old are you?"

She flashed one finger, and then followed by six. "Sixteen?" Alphonse guessed.

She answered with another nod of her head.

Turning around, Lark took him and his brother upstairs. She opened up the door to her spare bedroom, allowing the duo in first. The room was large, with two twin beds placed by opposite walls. Al laid Ed on one of them, making sure his brother was comfortable. After Lark set up the IV drip, she inserted the needle into Edward's arm. The liquid immediately started to flow into him, replenishing his blood supply.

She turned to Al, and mimed eating something. He shook his head. When she spun around to walk out, she crashed into Alphonse. His armor let out a loud metallic ring. Her face turned red and she bowed her apology, even more hair falling out of the braid. Before he could reply, she exited the room, leaving the two brothers alone to sit in silence.

It was then that Alphonse noticed that Lark hadn't said a word or even made a sound.

* * *

After I closed the door to the boys' room, I started shaking. When I ran into Alphonse, his armor sounded empty. The vibration had rung through the entire thing, with no body inside to stop it. What could have happened for a boy to end up with no body?

I did not believe in spirits, demons, or the like. Unless the armor was run by a motor and someone had attached a microphone to speak through it, which was impossible- there were no wires nor was there a power source- the boy's soul was bonded to the armor. I had read something like that before and had the knowledge to do it myself. It was called soul bonding: a form of human transmutation. That meant him or his brother, or both, were alchemists and had broken the taboo. I suspected Edward's automail limbs had something to do with that as well.

I went back to the hospital part of my house to clean up the mess we had made. The floor wasn't that dirty, save a few splatters of blood and water. Unfortunately, the blanket was ruined. I balled it up, and threw it into the trash. I then filled a bucket with water and an antibacterial formula, and dunked a mop in it.

Seeing Edward's clothes thrown onto the floor, I picked them up. Something dangled from the waist of the pants. I examined it. It appeared to be a silver pocket-watch with a lion on its hind legs carved in the front. My mouth went dry. I had seen one before; in the study, where I kept things my parents had.  
This boy was a state alchemist.

I almost didn't want to believe it. Edward looked like he was my age. Teenagers weren't supposed to work for the military. They were too young to see so much violence and bloodshed! I had never had any previous contact with the military, only hearing about them from the townspeople's gossip. Sure, the state alchemists "helped the people", but now, according to word of mouth, after the war in Ishval, nobody saw them that way.

Percole was an anti-military town; they had a strong opposition of them. I believed that the people of the town were distantly related to the Ishvalans, so they had felt the anger and anguish when they were mercilessly slaughtered. Another thing the villagers had inherited from the Ishvalans was their hatred of alchemy.

My parents were state alchemists, but from what I could decipher, they had run away from the military after finding out something horrible about it. I had looked through and memorized all their notes, trying to figure out what had happened. I had yet to discover what it was. They had escaped before the Ishvalan Civil War started, so I knew it wasn't that. Anyways, my parents had taught my sister and me alchemy behind the villagers' backs. We practiced in the basement, where no one could see us. We had a natural affinity towards it, and soon mastered it. I was especially good at medical and biological alchemy, though I could use most types. However, I knew could never perform it for the town without angering them. That said, quite some people had been lost because I couldn't use my alchemy to save them. The only reason I had used it today was because the two boys were outsiders, and there was no one around to see me use it. Alphonse's desperate pleas had reminded me of how I felt when I lost my sister; what it had drove me to do.

Shaking my head, I set the pants down on the table. It, the shoes, and the cloak were relatively clean, so Edward could wear them again. I threw out his jacket and shirt; both were shredded and bloodied beyond repair.

After I was done mopping the floor, I dumped out the water and dried the ground. I nodded. It looked clean, like nobody had almost died there.

I guess that was kind of what I was going for.

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**Who here doesn't like some dry humor sprinkled in there? Don't answer that; it's rhetorical. **

**Thank you so much to those who read, and especially those who followed and favorited the previous chapter. Of course, review, follow and favorite this for those who haven't. It wouldn't hurt to see some reviews. I can't read your minds! **


	3. Betrayal

Silent Song

Chapter 3: Betrayal

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. The original content does belong to me, though.**

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_All he could see was darkness. He floated along, bobbing like a fishing lure. He tried to move his body, but he couldn't even feel it. What terrified him, though, was that he had felt this all before. _

_Then, a flash of light. _

"Brother! Wake up!"

Edward's eyes shot open. When they focused, he could see his brother's face looking worriedly at him.

"Good morning, Ed." Alphonse said. "How are you feeling?"

Ed rubbed his eyes and tried to sit up, wincing when a sharp pain ripped through his abdomen. "Like I got stabbed. What happened?"

"Just like you said," Al stated matter-of-factly. "A man stabbed you with a beer bottle."

"Ugh," Edward moaned as the memory of the attack came rushing back. "What the hell did I do to him?!"

"He was one of Cornello's followers," Alphonse said quietly. "Apparently, his daughter was sick, and Cornello promised to save her."

"Bullshit! That Cornello is such a lying bastard!" Ed cried furiously. His body started trembling, and he gasped at the pain shot through his midsection. He took in deep breaths, trying to calm himself. When that was done, he slowly pulled himself up, and finally took a good look at where he was.

He was sitting on a small bed, his brother standing beside him. To his left was an IV drip connected to his arm; to his right, beyond Al, was a nightstand. Another bed was on the other side of the room, with a similar set up. In between the two beds was a window, bright light streaming through it.

"Where are we?" Ed asked.

"You were bleeding really badly. A man brought us to the doctor's. She saved your life!" Alphonse replied gratefully. "There weren't any other rooms, so she's letting us stay in her house."

"Huh," It amazed Ed how such a small town had a doctor, much less one that could awe his brother. Unless she was pretty; Al was a little too biased towards pretty women. "Where is she now?"

Just then, someone knocked on the bedroom door.

"Come in." Edward called across the room. When the person on the other side appeared to have trouble opening the door, Alphonse walked over and opened it for them.

"Good morning, Lark!" He said as soon as he saw who it was. A girl shot him a grateful smile for opening the door.

She was carrying a tray of food, along with a pile of clothes. The girl set the items on the nightstand and looked at Ed.

The boy squirmed under her stare; he felt like her icy blue eyes were staring into his soul. Just when he thought he would snap, she glanced at the IV drip in the corner. He saw that it was almost empty, only a bit of red left to tell him what had been in there before.

When he turned back, the girl had gotten even closer to him. She touched his face, and he flinched away.

"What do you think you are?" Ed was unnerved by her intrusion. "A doctor?"

"Brother!" Al protested. "_She's_ the doctor that saved your life. Be nice!"

Edward took a good look at the girl. She had pulled her hand back with a surprised expression on her face. She was around his age, maybe older. Her dark hair was slightly damp, braided loosely to the side. Her eyes were large and full of emotion. She had a delicate build, her body covered by a doctor's coat and a dress. If not for the coat, he wouldn't have been able to tell she was a doctor.

"She's the one that saved my life?!" Edward burst out. "She's just a girl in a tiny village playing doctor!"

The girl's eyes narrowed, sparking with anger. She turned around and snatched up something from the pile of clothing she had set aside. She thrust the item in Ed's face, almost hitting him. It was his silver pocket-watch. Her eyes seemed to challenge him.

His face paled, this time not from blood loss. If looks could kill, he would have been burned multiple times until he died, then brought back to life and repeated the process over and over again. She seemed to be saying that he was no different than her, definitely not in the position to judge.

Alphonse saw that Lark was on the verge of attacking his brother, so he cut in. "Lark, sorry for Brother's behavior. He's not usually happy when he wakes up."

The girl looked at Al with a stern expression, as if to say "Stop making excuses for your brother". She sighed and composed herself, embarrassed by her outburst. She waved her hand like to say: "Let's start over."

Alphonse was happy that at least one person was acting rationally and said to his brother, "Ed, this is Lark. She was the doctor who kept you from dying."

Edward, wanting to be the bigger man, held his hand out to Lark. She tentatively shook it, her expression wary. "Nice to meet you, Lark. I'm Edward Elric. The one wearing the armor is my younger brother Alphonse Elric."

If she heard the slightly sarcastic tone in his voice, she didn't show it. She continued to unwrap his bandages, being careful not to cause the blond pain. Edward laid his head back in the pillow, silently fuming. The girl was acting like nothing had happened, and it pissed him off.

However, when she was done unwrapping his bandages and let him sit up, Edward was completely surprised. He saw that the place where he got stabbed wasn't as bad as Al had described it as. Was Lark really that good of a doctor? Though his body still hurt, which he suspected was from internal damage, he did not look like he had been on the verge of dying.

The room was completely silent as Lark redressed the wounds and checked his vitals. She didn't seem to mind the silence or the boys' staring, not glancing up from her work. After she was done, she pulled out the IV needle and allowed Ed to put on a shirt and a pair of shorts, and then gave him his breakfast. She wrote a note and handed it to him, the note telling him to eat the food slowly, and to chew it thoroughly. It also told him to take it easy for the next few days so he wouldn't reopen the cuts.

Lark gathered up the equipment and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. As soon as she was gone, Edward disregarded her instructions, wolfing down the food as fast as he could. He swallowed, and then said, "She doesn't talk much, does she?"

Al nodded. "I haven't heard her say a word since we got here. Brother, slow down!"

Edward ignored his brother, continuing to take giant bites. "She doesn't seem that impressive, but how did she save me? I don't look like I got stabbed."

"She used alchemy," The armor said in awe. "Without a transmutation circle!"

"What?!" Ed gaped at Al. "_She_ can use alchemy?!"

"Brother, stop doing that. You're sounding misogynistic."

"I am not a misogynist!" He thought about the girls and women who could beat his ass if he did become one. Winry Rockbell, Teacher, Riza Hawkeye... He shuddered just thinking about it.

"Then stop saying 'what?!' every time I say something about Lark, and use her name." Alphonse berated his older sibling. "She's been nothing but kind to you."

Edward, ashamed that he had been scolded by his younger brother, decided to change the subject. "Are you sure that she didn't use a transmutation circle? Maybe she used one but you didn't see it."

"She clapped her hands together before she transmuted. That's what you do. Then she just put her hands on the wound, there was a blue light, and it stopped bleeding. I guess it was medical alchemy." Al explained to his brother. For once in his life, Edward remained silent. Then he stood up and said, "Whatever it is, I'm sure it has to do with the fact why she won't talk."

* * *

Edward and Alphonse stayed with me for a few days, Edward healing, Alphonse helping me. All the bronchitis patients had gotten well, even Mark, so I sent them home. The house was silent, save for the occasional person coming around for a check-up.

Now, Al and I were in my backyard, taking care of the plants I grew there. While he pulled the weeds, I checked the plants for diseases and bugs.

"Lark!" I heard him yell. "Is this a weed?" I turned around, only to see him pulling at my poor rosemary plants. I waved at him to stop, and he let go of them. I ran over, hoping the boy hadn't caused too much damage to them.

I carefully inspected the plants, Al profusely apologizing. "I'm so sorry!" He wailed. "I didn't know what they were!"

I patted his back comfortingly. Not trusting him around green things anymore, I gathered up the plants I had picked, him following suit.

We walked back to the house in a comfortable silence, coming in through my back door. We crossed into the hospital part of the house, and I opened to the door to my storage room. Al walked in first, I had to stop and pick up the things I had set down to unlock the door. When I entered, I found him staring at everything.

The room was very large, I had to say. However, it wasn't the size that surprised him. The walls were lined with countertops and cabinets. Ingredients I used in my medicines were organized alphabetically, the ready-made potions in the cabinets. Recipes and alchemy notes written in code covered just about every surface. My medical equipment and supplies sat on the shelves on the walls without countertops. In middle of the room was the island I used to make the medicines, where something was always bubbling. Bunches of herbs hung above it, drying for future use. I loved this room. I knew it from top to bottom, all around. It was my little sanctuary.

"Wow," Alphonse had unfrozen. "This is all yours?" I nodded proudly. Actually, most of the recipes were made by me, as well as the alchemy notes. I had saved some of my parents' notes, like the how to transmute different types of blood. The rest of the notes were in my study.

He walked over and looked at one of my coded alchemy notes. "I bet Brother could understand this." I rolled my eyes. Over the past few days, I had gotten to know the two brothers.

Edward was the older one, and hated it when people called him short. I found that one out when I wrote that he was "short" on calcium. He had yelled something about a shrimp and a lentil, but I hadn't been paying attention. Not to mention that he also hated milk. I had to find ways to sneak calcium into his food, like crushing calcium pills into his juice, because he absolutely refused to drink it. He was loud and boisterous, never backing down from a fight.

Alphonse, on the other hand, was quiet and gentle. I was always finding him with a lost animal, which he always begged to his brother that he wanted to keep it. Ed would refuse, saying that they were traveling all the time, and wouldn't be able to take care of it. Alphonse acted courteous around me, semi-scolding his brother about things. Despite that, deep down, I knew Al would support his older sibling no matter what.

I wanted to find out more about them, but feared that would be intruding their privacy. I got along well with them, and they never questioned me on my muteness, although Ed made snide remarks like: "Care to speak louder?" whenever I shook or nodded my head in response to a question. However, I did sometimes find him staring at me like he was trying to read me. Not that I was one to judge. I was constantly wondering what had happened for him to have the automail limbs and for Al to have his soul bonded to the armor (that part I wasn't sure of, but there was enough evidence to say so).

I finished hanging up plants to dry, and then turned off the lights, motioning for Al to come with me. After shutting the door behind us, we went into the waiting room to find Edward sitting on one of the couches. His legs were propped up on the coffee table across from it. He seemed to be waiting for us, golden eyes lighting up when he saw his brother.

"Al!" He jumped up. "Let's go spar!" Al looked uncertainly at me, silently asking whether or not it was okay. I nodded, waving them off and pointing to the backyard. The two boys ran off, leaving me alone. I picked up a basket that I kept by the front entrance. While the boys were fighting, I had to go to the market to buy food. I flipped over the sign on my door that said: "OPEN" to the sign that said: "CLOSED", and headed for streets.

The ladies at the farmer's market greeted me cheerily when I stopped at their stands to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. I smiled back at them, before I looked over the produce.

After I paid for the items, I turned to go to back home. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little girl playing ball by an old wall. The wall was there to block off the wind that carried sand into the town. It was already weakened by that sand blasting toward it, but the child was bouncing the ball off of it. I started walking over to stop her. Then, a large gust of wind blew through the market. I was knocked sideways by the powerful push of it. I saw the wall lurch toward the little girl.

Time seemed to slow down. She was too far away for anyone to warn her. Instinctively, I clapped my hands together, getting ready for a transmutation. I slammed my palms on the ground, blue electricity moving over the ground to form a circle around her. Earth moved into a dome, covering her from the falling wall. The bricks tumbled over the dome and onto the ground, not leaving a dent.

The whole marketplace had gone silent. I clapped my hand together again, releasing the girl from the shield of earth. She stared at me, and then ran into the arms of her mother. Everyone was looking at me. They had all seen me use alchemy. Parents held their children closer to them, as if trying to protect them from me. People that I knew were casting me scared glances. Then, I heard someone yell, "She used alchemy! She's an alchemist!"

The entire place launched into chaos. They were yelling, screaming, and threatening me. Some backed away from me, others slowly closed in.

"We trusted you, Lark!"

"I knew there was something wrong with you!"

"GET OUT OF HERE!"

"LEAVE THIS TOWN AND NEVER COME BACK!"

I frantically looked around. Now everyone had angered expressions. They glared at me, judging me. I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up, not looking at anyone. And ran.

Away from the people who once needed me.

Away from the people who hated me.

Tears ran down my face as I fled. I felt betrayed by them all.

* * *

**And scene. So, what do you guys think of this? Is the pacing too fast? Or too slow? Let me know in the reviews!**

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**Special thanks to MissiB for reviewing!**


	4. No Place Called Home

Silent Song

Chapter 4- No Place Called Home

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do own the original content in here.**

* * *

Edward collapsed on the ground, too exhausted to move. He had lost again. "It's not fair. You can't get tired." he moaned to his brother.

"It's never fair," Al replied. "Now move. You're going to crush some of Lark's plants."

Ed rolled over and pushed himself back onto his feet. "Does she really use these in medicine instead using alchemy?"

"Yeah, she has an entire store room full of them. But I did think I saw something to do with alchemy."

Edward stayed silent, and then his face broke into a grin. Al knew that smile. It was the face he had every time he came up with a plan.

"Where's that room?" Ed asked Al. "I want to go check it out."

"We shouldn't try to do that. It's invading her privacy."

"C'mon! Don't you want to find out what the things that had to do with alchemy is?"

Alphonse sighed. He knew Edward wouldn't take no for an answer. Besides, he could see him slowly inching toward the house. He led his brother to room with a huffed "Fine". Lark had left the door unlocked, so they entered without having Ed resort to using his alchemy.

Edward whistled when he stepped into the room and flicked on the light. "That girl is a neat freak."

Al agreed with his brother, but he would never say it out loud. Instead, he pointed to a paper lying on the countertop. "I think that one has to do with alchemy."

Ed walked over to where the armored boy was pointing and picked up the paper. His brow furrowed as he tried to break the code. When his forehead relaxed, Alphonse knew his brother had figured it out.

"This paper's about how to close a wound. I'm not too good with medical terms, but if there is internal bleeding, this teaches you how to stop it." He picked up another paper. "These are all written in the same code."

He continued skimming the papers, until one word stood out.

"AL!" He yelled. Al had been looking at a diagram that showed the body structure of a cat. He swung around to answer his brother.

"Wha-" He started before Edward interrupted him.

"There's something about the Philosopher's Stone here!"

The younger boy was completely shocked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! No! Maybe! It says that they found a way to bypass Equivalent Exchange!" Ed exclaimed in excitement. "Then it goes on to say how big of a discovery it is. I can't find anything else on it." His voice faded at the end of the sentence. There had to be more!  
Al wasn't so sure. "Can't it just be a coincidence?"

"Don't you understand? There are no coincidences! She can transmute without a circle! Isn't that proof enough?!"

Suddenly, the brothers heard the door open, and then slam shut. They hastily backed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind them. Ed and Al walked into the waiting room to find Lark collapsed on the couch, knees drawn up to her chest, face covered by her hands and undone hair. She was shaking and made sniffing sounds.

"Lark?" Alphonse said gently. "What's wrong?" The girl looked up at them. Her eyes were red from the tears streaming down her face. She looked away and pointed to the door.

Edward, forgetting about the Philosopher's Stone, walked over to the door, curious about what Lark meant by it. He opened it a little bit and was immediately assaulted by angry shouts.

"An alchemist!"

"It's people like you who destroy everything!"

"Why did you lie to us?!"

"STOP HIDING!"

He shut the door quickly. The yells were muffled, but if he listened closely, he could still understand them. He turned back to find Lark's body trembling with another wave of misery. She sobbed silently, her head resting on her knees. Al patted her back comfortingly. Even Ed was surprised that the normally calm doctor was crying like a child.

"So they didn't know you were an alchemist, huh?" He mumbled, half to himself, half to the crying girl. She froze, and then slowly shook her head. After her tears had run dry, she reached shakily for the notepad in the table. She picked it up, and wrote furiously on it. When she was done, she handed the book to Edward. He read the words aloud.

"'My parents were both alchemists. They had moved here before I was born. The villagers hate alchemists, so my parents never told them. As I got older, they taught me alchemy. I never used it in front of the people because I was afraid this would happen. Today, I saved a girl from being killed by a falling wall by making an earth shield around her using alchemy. The townspeople all saw, and now they want me out of here, or they will end up killing me."

He was completely shocked. "You helped all those people! Why would they do that to you?!"

Lark pointed to the "The villagers hate alchemists," part and shook her head sadly. They stood silent for a few moments. Then Alphonse spoke.

"Why don't you come with us?"

"We're going to East City," Ed added. "Maybe the colonel can help you."

She stayed still for so long the boys took it as a "No". Then she nodded her head. Edward smiled faintly at her.

"Get packing. We're leaving tomorrow."

* * *

I slowly walked back to my room. I had to get bag to put my things in, as well as pack my clothes. The boys were taking me with them. From what I could tell, they had no permanent home. They just wandered from place to place like nomads. Their only stability was each other. My heart ached when I realized it had been the same way between my sister and I, until she died.

I suppressed the memories threatening to resurface. I had something to do now. I would leave the house where it was, taking only the things I needed. The villagers could do whatever they wanted to it. I opened my closet. All I had were some dresses and a few jackets in there. I already had on a blue dress with a pair of lace-up boots. The boots were coming with me. Good ones were hard to come by around here.

Anyway, I digress. I picked out a gray and a lavender dress to take with me. I could get more useful clothes in East City. I also took with me a few changes of undergarments and a black jacket. I didn't have much else.

When I rifled through my other belongings, I picked up a picture. It was a picture we had took before my parents died. My sister and I stood up in front, our parents smiling behind us. I was holding up some carrots we had grown, a proud grin on my face. My sister, Glory, was beside me, carrying a small pail of snow peas. We were both covered with dirt from gardening. My mother had thought we looked adorable, and all but begged our father to take a family portrait like that.

It reminded me of the happier times in my life. I put the photo in my bag, and then entered the study. I opened the safe that sat in the corner. Inside were the silver pocket watches my parents had, and about ten-thousand cenz. There was also a small notebook I had compiled of all my parents' research. I took out the all the money and the notebook, leaving the two watches behind.

As I walked past the brothers' room to get to the other side of the house, I couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"AL! Get that thing away from me!"

"But Ed! It's just a cat!"

"It's trying to attack me! Can't you hear the noise it's making?!"

"It wants to play with you. And that noise is it purring."

"Whatever! We are not keeping it!"

"What if Lark wants to keep it?"

"Don't you dare try to pull the guilt card on me! Put it back where it came from!"

I laughed inwardly. Despite how upset I was, the two boys managed to cheer me up a little. Their good-natured arguments always had that effect in me.

I crossed to the other part of my house and entered the storage room. I immediately noticed that some of my notes were in different places from where I had set them. The boys must have gone through this place when I was out. My mood darkened once again. No one was allowed in this room unless I came with them; I had made that very clear. To think that they violated my privacy while I didn't ask a thing of them! Judging by the way the notes were scattered, they had been looking for something specific. I snatched up a paper and read it. It was the one about how my parents had discovered the exception of Equivalent Exchange. The note had been lying on the ground, wrinkled on the sides from someone holding it roughly.

I stormed out of the room holding it, working my way to the Elrics' room. I knocked briskly, and when Alphonse opened the door, I pushed my way past him. I held the note in Edward's face, anger apparent. He paled once he saw my angered face, my eyes questioning.

"Uh... We were just looking around!" He stuttered. "I just happened to pick it up!"

I glared at him, daring him to feed me more lies. I guess I must have looked really scary, because he let out a squeak and his voice went up an octave.  
"Okay! Okay! I was wondering why you couldn't talk and Al mentioned something about alchemy notes in your lab thing. I thought the two were related so I made him take me to the room! Then I saw that paper had information on the Philosopher's Stone on it. That's all I read! I swear!"

I crossed my arms, satisfied by his answer. After processing what he said, I perked up and looked around for a paper for me to write on. I found some in the drawer, so I wrote, "Why are you looking for the Philosopher's Stone?"

Alphonse read over my shoulder. "She wants to know why we're looking for the Stone."

Edward's mouth flapped up and down like a goldfish. "How did you know we were looking for it?!"

I rolled my eyes, answering with a written, "The note never said anything about the Philosopher's Stone, just a way around Equivalent Exchange."

Al told Ed what I wrote and Ed pushed his face into his hands. "Ugh. Wait, you know what the Philosopher's Stone is? What do you know about it?"

I narrowed my eyes, scribbling on the paper. Al read it back for Ed. "'Of course I know what the Philosopher's Stone is. Every alchemist knows. What I know about the Philosopher's Stone is none of your business."

It was harsh, but I was still furious that they had violated my privacy. Edward looked like he wanted to go hide in a corner. I didn't know whose side Alphonse was taking; he just sat there silently. So, when he spoke, he surprised me.

"How about an exchange? We tell you what happened to us, and you can tell us what you know about the Stone." I would not have expected the younger brother to use such a tactic. Apparently, neither did Edward.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "We have to discuss those kinds of things. We can't go around blabbing to random people!"

"But, Brother," Al answered his brother in a logical manner. "We disregarded her rules, and she'll be traveling with us. She won't trust us if we keep everything from her."

Edward growled. Al did have a point. Even though I was mad at them, I still was planning to go with them to East City. With them keeping so many things from me, it was hard to trust them. Ed relented with a muttered "Do what you have to do".

Alphonse turned back to me. "What do you want to know?"

My curious side got the best of me, and I knocked on his armor, staring at him accusingly.

"I'm hollow." He replied. I gave him a sarcastic look. I usually didn't act that way, but my emotions were running up and down that day, I couldn't control myself. Thank goodness Al was understanding, because he stayed calm, while anyone else, namely Ed, would have been agitated.

"Well, um..." Alphonse was trying to find a way to say what he was going to say in a way that wouldn't upset me. "We-"

Edward interrupted him. "We tried human transmutation." My eyes widened. What could have driven the boys to do something like that?

"We just wanted to see our mother again," Alphonse said pitifully. "She was the only family we had left." Now I understood. Their situation was so close to the one my sister and I had. Only, they still had each other.

"Al lost his body, and I lost my leg," Ed explained. "It cost me an arm to bind his soul to the armor. The only people who know about this are my mechanic, my superior, and now, you. We want to find the Philosopher's Stone to return our bodies to normal."

No one made a move afterwards. I was still taking in what they had told me. Then I decided I could think about that later. I had a deal to fulfill.

I took another sheet of paper and started writing. The thing that could be heard in the room was my pen moving across the paper. When I was done, I handed the paper to Alphonse. He read it out loud.

"'The Philosopher's Stone, also known as the Celestial Stone, the Immortal Elixir, and the Sorcerer's Stone, has the ability to bypass Equivalent Exchange. Even people with no prior knowledge of alchemy can use it. It can create something out of nothing, regardless of the volume and mass.'"

"'However, the Stone itself must be made by an alchemist. I do not know the ingredients, though I do know that there have been many attempts to make one. The few somewhat successful attempts had only worked for a small while, before rebounding and creating mass destruction. The methods used to make them varied, from using a combination of rare chemicals to extracting various toxins. The side effects also differed. Some causes people to go insane, while others caused disease. There have been rumors that someone has created a real one and the military covered it up. Apparently, the methods used to achieve the real one were too dangerous for the public to know.'"

Alphonse finished reading, breathless (figuratively) and Ed whistled.

"Wow. How did you know so much?"

I ran out if paper, so I pointed to his state alchemist watch.

"You're a state alchemist?" He guessed.

Ugh. I hated when I had to convey something to people by them guessing. I shook my head. He tried again.

"Another state alchemist passed through here?"

Shake.

"It's written on the watch?"

Shake.

"I told you?"

Glare.

"Al told you?"

Another glare. Never in my life had I felt so frustrated with a person. His younger brother interjected, also getting impatient.

"Your parents?"

I clapped my hands together and pointed at the armored boy. Edward gaped at him.

"How did you know?"

"She told us before that her parents were alchemists, and honestly," Alphonse retorted. "You aren't the best at guessing or understanding girls."

Ed looked at me. I nodded along with what Al said. The teenager let out a sigh and asked, "Are you done with your packing?"

I straightened up, suddenly remembering what I had been doing before. Hastily, I shook my head and walked out of the room. After going back to the storage room, I picked out a select number of herbs to take with me. These herbs would be helpful if I got sick or just wanted to spice my food. In truth, I was bringing them for nostalgia. However, I would need the emergency kit that had a burn salve, some alcohol wipes, gauze, and other things for emergencies. The boys looked like they were the cause of a lot of trouble, so they would probably need my medical attention.

By the time I was done packing, it had turned to night. Edward's stomach had started making a growling noise, telling me that it was time to eat. He sat in the dining room while I prepared a vegetable soup, rereading the paper I had given him. Al joined me in the kitchen, helping me wash and cut the food. The environment was a peaceful kind of quiet, which I truly enjoyed. I whistled as I worked, happy for once, today. The feeling was mutual, because Alphonse turned to me and said, "This reminds me of when Brother and I were kids. I helped Mom in the kitchen, but when Ed tried to help, she would throw him out because he caused too much trouble."

I smiled, not finding it surprising. The soup was boiling, so I turned off the stove. After waiting for it to cool a little, I spooned it into two bowls. I reached for the third bowl, but stopped and turned to Al, silently asking him if he was eating. He seemed amazed that I noticed something as small as that.

"Oh! I don't drink and sleep, either. But, you need more food for Brother; he eats a lot." I nodded and put away the third bowl. I filled the second bowl up more, before walking into the dining room. Ed looked up.

"You have food!" In a blink of an eye, he had cleared the table. He patted the space on the table in front of him, eager to start his meal. I set the bowl where he had indicated, and he immediately dug in. When he came up for air, Alphonse asked him a question.

"Is it good?" Ed nodded, too busy reaching for the second bowl I put in front of him. I eyed the armored boy across my bowl I was sipping, curious to see what was going on.

Edward finished the soup and continued, "Who knew you could make something like this? It's delicious! What's in it?"

I rolled my eyes. The boy had managed to give me a backhanded compliment for the umpteenth time. I wrote out the ingredients on a sheet of paper, and then handed it to Ed. He squinted at the list. "What's ci-lan-tro?" He pronounced the "lan" like "land" without the "d".

"Brother, that says cilantro," Al sighed. Then he nodded towards me. "Can I try your soup when I get my body back?" His voice sounded so hopeful, I couldn't help but flash him a confirming grin.

After dinner, I washed the dishes by myself. Edward had wanted to discuss with Al about what I had given them on the Stone, so they had retired early to their room. The blond had wolfed down just about all my soup, saying that it was so much better than what he had expected. I had ignored him, something that I did quite often. There wasn't much to clean up, and no food was wasted. I finished in no time.

I climbed up stairs to my bedroom, planning to read something before going to bed. However, the day has taken its toll on me, and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

* * *

I woke up at the crack of dawn the next day. Judging by how silent the house was, the boys were still in their room. Ed was probably sleeping like the late riser he was, while Al did whatever he did at night.

All my stuff was packed and waiting downstairs, so all I had to do was wash up and make breakfast. I quickly showered and dressed per usual, hair in a side braid, bandanna tied around my neck. Instead of a doctor's coat though, I put on the black jacket over my sleeveless yellow dress. The desert would be cold at this time.

By the time Edward and Alphonse came downstairs, I had Ed's breakfast waiting for him. He ate it just as hastily as the meal before, barely stopping to chew. We sat in silence, the only sound being Ed's noisy eating. I washed the dishes, and then we gathered our cases.

"Are you ready?" Alphonse asked me gently. I nodded.

We walked east, towards the desert. When we reached the edge, I stopped to look at Percole. The sun was shining on the town, casting a warm glow. It was breathtaking.

"Hey, you coming?" I heard Edward shout from behind me. I turned around, showing my back to the town where I had lived my entire life, walking to the outside world.

* * *

**Yay! Happy Late Thanksgiving! Not that I had any turkey. But I did get a pretty damn awesome Black Friday Haul. **

**I mean come on:**

Seasons 5 and 6 of The Big Bang Theory

Seasons 7 and 8 of How I Met Your Mother

Season 2 and 3 of Modern Family

Seasons 4, 5, and 6 of Mad Men

Pitch Perfect

**Thank you to those who reviewed. **

**MissiB: See, it did work out for Lark. I just hope I don't have to write another angsty scene for her. She's been through so much!**

**Arinlianette: Thank you! And I don't plan on stopping.**

**As usual, if you like this story, please follow, favorite, or review!  
**


	5. City of Water

Silent Song

Chapter 5: City of Water

* * *

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me. I do own the original content.**

* * *

"Want to double the bet?"

"Suit yourself."

"Sorry, I've got a full house."

"Too bad, royal flush."

"No way! I thought for sure I'd win for once." I silently laughed from the window seat. It had been three days since I left Percole. Now, Edward, Alphonse, and I were on the train, heading for East City. Al took up one seat, while Ed and I shared a seat across from him. They had gotten bored and started playing poker. Edward had already win a number of times, taking a large sum of money from his younger brother. What Alphonse didn't know was: Ed was cheating. I could clearly see that he had been sneaking peeks and taking cards. Not being able to speak gave one a better sense of observation.

"Okay, this time I'm-" Al continued anxiously. He obviously wanted to beat his brother at the card game.

"I quit," Edward leaned back and picked up a dango. "I'm bored."

"Bored?! What are you bored of?"

Al huffed and turned to me. "Lark, do you want to play?"

I shook my head. Poker came naturally to me, but I didn't want to cheat the boys of his money, unlike a certain older brother. When I was younger, the neighborhood kids had taught me how to play it. I had a knack for card games, so I picked it up easily. The best part was reading through people's poker faces. I had been reading psychology books, which helped me know what others were doing. My process of thinking was also extremely logical, making bets and gambling were easy wins. After I had basically robbed all the kids of their money, they learned to avoid making bets with me

Ed stared at his food. "It's not about the cards, Al. It's about who we have to see. Mustang."

I glanced at the blond with a confused look in my face. All I knew was that Colonel Roy Mustang was his superior.

"You don't want to see him?" Alphonse asked for both of us.

"Of course I don't. Our biggest lead on the Stone turned out to be a fake. We've been searching but we have nothing to prove for it." Edward answered angrily.

"We have Lark." Al vouched for me. Despite the information I had given them, I knew the boys still needed a solid lead. I laid a hand on Al's arm, telling him it was okay.

He tried again. "But we've done a lot of good."

"Good?!" his brother scoffed. "Good goes on a military report in a side bar for collateral damage. I can see his face, his sarcastic quips. Just thinking about it makes me completely nauseous."

Judging by his remarks, I could tell Edward didn't like his superior. Or the military in general. I knew for fact that what he was saying was true. The military only cared about facts. They didn't care how much good you did, just what profit you made from it. It was one of the reasons my parents left.

He finished off one stick, and then continued to the second. When the conductor announced, "Next stop, Aquroya", he stood up. Slightly confused, Al and I followed his lead, gathering our things. The train came to a stop, and we stepped onto the pavement. With a whistle, the train headed off again, leaving the station.

We stood in silence, until Al said something I had been wondering as well, "I thought we were going to East City."

"It's in the way. Maybe we will find something on the Philosopher's Stone here and avoid a lecture." Edward turned toward the entrance of the city. "Besides, Aquroya's a popular tourist attraction. I've always wanted to check it out."

I nodded in agreement to him. Even though I wanted to go to East City, Aquroya interested me. The ruins and the canals fascinated me when I read about them. It was known as the "City of Water".

Alphonse eyed us disapprovingly. "Feels kind of like we're playing hooky, don't you think?"

Ed whirled around. "Stop being so-" He had flapped his arms so hard; the cards fell out of his sleeves.

"Well, well," Alphonse said as he picked up the cards. "What do we have here? What an oddly good hand of cards." He turned to see Ed running away.

"Ed, you cheater! Come back!" The suit of armor yelled as he chased after his brother. "I want everything you won from me back. And I thought I was just unlucky!" I hurriedly picked up my bag and raced after them.

* * *

The city was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining, barely a cloud in the sky. Canals were full of boats gently gliding along. Tourists flocked every street. The buildings looked old, yet grand. Water surrounded the entire city, ruins of the past stood out like cliffs.

We stopped to find where we were going. Al was extremely impressed by the city, pointing things out to Ed, who just looked bored.

Just then, a carriage drove by. Muddy water sprayed at us. Al and I jumped back in time, but Edward was completely covered by it.

"WHAT THE HELL'S YOUR PROBLEM, PAL?!" Alphonse broke into laughter, while I tried to cover up the large grin forming on my face. His clothes were drenched by the water, hair sticking to his face. Al managed to slip in a "Well, it is the city of water." to which I started shaking with silent laughter. Still annoyed, Edward clapped his hands together and dried himself using alchemy.

_Click_.

I looked over to find a man wearing a fedora and a trench coat handcuffing Ed. As if the hat the coat hadn't told us what he was, he held up a badge told us he was a detective.

"Shouldn't we talk about this first?" Ed said as the man held up his handcuffed arm.

"You and your friends are coming with us to the station. We got some questions for you, alchemist." The "we" he was referring to was band of police officers surrounding us. They dragged Ed off towards a large building. Alphonse and I stared at each other with utter confusion and quickly followed, not wanting to get handcuffed as well.

The men took us to a questioning room, where we squeezed in behind one side, while the man who arrested us sat on the other. Three bowls of food was placed in front of us. Edward immediately picked one up and started chowing down. I wasn't hungry, so I pushed the bowl toward Ed.

"Who are you guys?" The man asked.

Al answered for us. "I'm Alphonse Elric, that's my brother Edward Elric, and this is Lark."

The man looked us over. "What are you all, a magic show?"

Ed finished his bowl and glared at him. "No, I'm a state alchemist. My name is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist." He took out his silver pocket watch and placed it in the table.

The detective scoffed, "So you're telling me you're with the state. And the Fullmetal Alchemist. Hero of the people."

"How many times do I have to say it, chief," Edward's words were muffled by the food he was chewing. "That watch should be proof enough."

"Sure, if it's real. But I have some doubts. I say you're too short-"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL YOU WANT TO CRUNCH LIKE AN ANT?!"

Not surprised by Ed's outburst, I whistled like one would to tell a dog to come to its master. He glared at me. I shrugged indifferently. It was payback for all the times he made fun of me.

"Brother," Al cut in. "Please, he didn't say anything like that." Ed sat back down and started on his second bowl.

"Sorry for the third degree, kid." the detective said. "Just wanted to test you. We got a thief on our backs called Psiren, so we're all on edge."

Psiren? I cast him a questioning glance. He saw it and answered, "Yeah, her real name is unknown. The only real lead we got is that she uses alchemy."

The man turned toward Edward. "So we thought you just might be connected. You say you're with the state. And the Fullmetal Alchemist, no less."

This went on for a couple more hours. The detective would ask us questions, Edward would react strongly, and the whole process would repeat. When we finally exited the building, I sighed in relief. If I was stuck behind that desk for much longer, I would have run out of air to breathe. The man had chewed our ears off talking about the phantom thief. Edward obviously agreed with me.

"Damn that guy," he muttered as we walked down the steps outside the police station. "He kept saying the same things for three hours. He probably wears that hat to hide the hole in his brain."

"Still, doesn't that worry you," Alphonse said quietly. To me or to Ed, I wasn't sure. "A criminal using alchemy to steal."

My parents had taught me that alchemy was to be used to help other people. It was some sort of unspoken rule between all alchemists. I wholeheartedly believed in that. To say that it worried me though, was a bit of an exaggeration.

A groan from behind us made Al and I turn around. Edward was sitting in the ground, clutching his stomach. His face was pale, contorted in pain.

"You don't look so good." Alphonse remarked.

"My stomach feels-" A loud grumbling noise interrupted him. It was his stomach. "Ugh."

I sat down beside him and felt his forehead. He didn't have a fever, but he did seem to have the chills. Judging by how much pain his stomach was causing him, he either had the stomach flu or food poisoning. I didn't have the medical equipment to find out, so we needed to go to the hospital.

Alphonse and I half-carried, half-dragged Edward around looking for one. We asked around town, and they all pointed toward us towards a small, rundown facility.

"Well, it looks like a little bit of food poisoning, that's all." the doctor said after looking Ed over.

"So it's not from eating too much?" Alphonse asked in a surprised tone. We stood in either side the blond.

"Oh, shut up."

"We'll need to give you an injection," the doctor faced the door. "Clara?"

I relaxed. It was just a mild case, so the injection would be all he needed. The worst case scenario would have led to Edward getting his stomach pumped. He would be fine in a couple more hours. I wouldn't have to worry about him throwing up and having diarrhea.

Apparently, an injection wasn't as calming as I thought it was. In an instant, Ed was running away. Alphonse grabbed him and pulled him back. Edward kicked and scratched. Fists flew everywhere. Metallic clangs rang out.

"Get away from me! I don't need it!"

"It's just a needle! You'll be fine!"

"I feel better now!"

"Don't be a baby! Just take off your coat!"

"Damnit, Al! Why do you want to sell out your own brother?! You're evil!"

"You don't mean that!"

"I'll turn you all into fish!"

Somewhere in the fray, the nurse snuck in and gave Edward the injection. He stopped struggling in Al's grip and looked up at her.

"There, there," the nurse said, running a finger over Ed's cheek. "You're all done. That didn't hurt at all."

The teenager's face flushed. Clara, I believe that was her name, was very pretty. She had blond hair that was cut to her chin. Her blue eyes were kind and smiled at everyone. Her voice was calming, which made for a gentle demeanor.

Edward started arguing with her, and she teased him. I glanced at Alphonse. He was staring at her with an awestruck expression.

My eyes narrowed. I didn't know what, but there was something off about this woman.

* * *

"She was so good at her job. Smart and gorgeous, too. I can't stop thinking about her." Alphonse said as we walked outside. Edward was feeling better, so we decided to go to the courtyard.

Al had been talking about the nurse nonstop. Ed was obviously getting tired of it. "You have bad taste in women, Al."

He sat down on the bench and I settled down beside him. "She was a bad gift in pretty wrapping."

Ed looked at me. "What you think, Lark?"

I pulled out my notebook. He nodded when I wrote "There's something about her I don't like." "See, Al. Even Lark doesn't trust her."

Alphonse didn't answer. We glanced up at him. He was staring across the courtyard. I followed his gaze, only to find Clara helping an old lady eat an apple.

"Hey, you with me, Al?"

Al broke away and answered his brother. "Yeah. I was just thinking. There's something really giving- calming-about her. She kind of reminds me of Mom."

The boys often talked about their mother. According to them, she was the kindest, most caring person in the world. They held her in a pedestal; never saying anything bad about her. It made me sad when I thought of how they must have felt when she died.

"Don't be ridiculous," Edward scoffed. "She's nothing like her."

The armored boy wasn't listening again. The old woman had dropped her apple, smashing it to smithereens. She mumbled something about her hands not being steady, and Clara counseled her.

Without warning, Alphonse crossed the courtyard to get to the duo. Ed and I followed him, wanting to see what would happen. Al bent down in front of the broken apple and started drawing a transmutation circle. When he was done, he placed his hands on the circle, causing a crackle of energy to surround the fruit. The smoke cleared, revealing one whole apple.

Almost inaudibly, Clara gasped. Alphonse held the apple out to them. "There you go."

Clara regained her composure, and said, "You're alchemists. I didn't realize."

The way she said it was strange. It was almost as if she was talking to herself. Before anyone could inquire what she meant by the statement, we heard someone yell, "Mr. Elric! Mr. Elric!"

I would have groaned if I could. It was the detective that had arrested us.

"Let's just make a tape saying that I'm innocent," Edward said almost wearily. "You can play it back all you want."

The detective caught up to us. He was panting, hands in his knees. "I know you are. I know and this time I'm asking you for help."

As the man basically dragged us away, I almost didn't notice how tensed up Clara had become.

* * *

I gaped at the sheer amount of food before us. There had to be almost one hundred bowls of rice set on the table. The police investigator had taken us back to the station and into a large room. We sat on one side of the table, while officers surrounded the other sides.

"Officers!" the investigator announced. "Presenting State Alchemist Major Edward Elric! Salute!"

Simultaneously, the men raised their right hands into a salute. Edward picked up a bowl, already forgetting the food poisoning incident, and started eating.

The man turned to us, rubbing his hands anxiously. "First, I would like to apologize for earlier for asking all those questions. I did what you told me to do: I got in contact with Colonel Mustang at the Eastern Command Center. I paid long distance and everything." A bead of sweat made its way down his forehead. "He sounded nice. Angry, but nice. He said you really are a state alchemist. I really pegged you wrong." He chuckled nervously.

"Like I said." Ed sounded extremely smug.

The man gulped and continued, "Yes, indeed. In light of this new information, I would like to ask you-" He paused when Edward stuck his empty bowl in front of his face.

"I'll need more."

The detective forced a smile onto his face. "And as much as you like."

* * *

That night, we went to the museum that the investigator told us to meet up in. He said that he would give us more information once we arrived. Edward and Alphonse had originally wanted me to stay in the hotel, but I managed to convince them that if anyone got hurt, I could help them.

The front entrance was completely blocked by a giant crowd of people, some holding signs saying things like; "Go Psiren!" or even "I Love Psiren!" It was almost unbelievable that that many people supported a thief. There were so many of them, an escort had to take us to the back entrance, where it was completely deserted.

We entered a large room surrounded by officers. In the middle was a glass case with a bejeweled arm cuff inside. The gems glittered brightly under the lights. Police officers were stationed around it ruined the mood the jewels had.

I basically leaped a foot in the air someone behind us said, "This is it."

I whirled around to see the detective standing there. He glanced at the display. "Psiren's next mark."

He then turned to Edward. "With you in our side, Psiren's hold on the city will finally unravel."

"Yeah, I'll do what I can." Ed frowned, eyeing the crowd outside. "That's a lot of people. A lot of things to go wrong."

I myself was wondering how everyone knew what and where Psiren's target was. And if so many people were there, how did she escape every time?

"That's Psiren's M.O." the man answered my unasked question. "Most thieves don't announce their heist before they happen. Psiren tells every paper in the country. Journalists, thrill seekers, even Psiren groupies come to see. It's become a spectator event."

His monologue took a hopeful tone. "But it all ends tonight. It's funny how fast your popularity fades when you're wearing stripes." He turned to go somewhere. "I better check the security station."

We watched the man's retreating back, absorbing the information he had relayed to us. It solved most of the questions I had, though my final one was asked by Alphonse.

"I'm kind of surprised you took this job." he remarked to Edward.

Ed stared outside the window, eyebrows furrowing with thought. "Guess I'm just curious. Yet another way to use alchemy to do wrong."

For the next couple of hours, we waited there for Psiren to show up. Apparently, she never backed out of job, even with this much security. It was around midnight when it finally happened. I was standing beside the boys, keeping watch on the case. Then, the ceiling came crashing down and smoke swept all over the room. In the chaos, somebody pushed me down onto the floor. There was yelling everywhere, people were running all over the place, but I heard Ed say, "Clever move. Come on, Al!"

The sound of something flying through the air went past me, and Al whimpered. I could see through the smoke enough to find Alphonse pinned to the wall. Turning back, I saw Ed chasing after the runaway thief with a "Hey! Hold it!"

I decided that Edward could deal with her on his own; I clapped my hands together and used my alchemy to clear the air. When the smoke was gone, I found the glass case had been cut open. The cuff was gone. The police were looking around frantically for it, but I paid them no mind. Al was still pinned to the wall, so I walked over to help him. The things holding him down appeared to by tarot cards, except they were as sharp knives. Definitely the result of alchemy.

After helping Alphonse, I glanced around the room to see if anyone else needed help. A quick self-inspection told me that the smoke had not been poisonous. It had just been the kind used to conceal movements. No one was injured; most were just dazed by how fast Psiren had gotten in and out.

The detective stalked over to us and asked, "Where's Mr. Elric?"

"He went after Psiren," Al answered. Edward had only been gone a few minutes, but I could hear the worry in Alphonse's voice. I would be too, if it were my sibling. "Brother can handle it on his own."

I agreed with him. They had told me what had happened in Liore. For all I knew, they could have lied. But I trusted them. The tale had given me no reason to doubt that they knew how to deal things like that.

Suddenly, I heard someone yell, "Who are you calling a pipsqueak?! You know, I'd tall too if I was wearing heels!"

There was only one person that could say something like that.

Edward returned a couple minutes later, blushing up a storm.

"Psiren got away."

When the detective questioned him, Edward didn't go into any details about what had happened. It was only when we were at the hotel Ed told us what went down.

Apparently, he had had a one on one with Psiren. She had surprised him when she unzipped her top, revealing a transmutation circle tattooed in her chest. Psiren then used alchemy to pin Ed down, and she got away. I pressed for more details, but Edward refused to give me any. Judging by the way he was blushing, I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

* * *

The next day, we went back to the hospital. Edward needed a follow up checkup from the doctor. I was a little peeved that Ed trusted that man as a doctor rather than me, but he had more equipment.

While Alphonse and I sat in waiting room for Edward to finish, we conversed with the other people at the hospital. In truth, Alphonse talked to them. Although, Al and I seemed to have an invisible understanding. All I had to do was glance at him, and he would know what I was saying.

I noticed that the hospital was mostly empty. Parts of it were extremely broken down, but no one fixed it. I pointed it out to Al and he mentioned it to a passing by nurse.

"Why would anyone try to fix something that's going to shut down?" she said, shrugging. I jumped up in surprise. They were going to shut the hospital down?!

"What?!" Alphonse cried.

The nurse nodded. "There isn't any funding going into here, so the city is tearing it down. Excuse me, but I have somewhere to be."

We let her go, staring into space at the news. Alphonse straightened up and said, "We have to tell Brother. Besides, he's been in there for a long time. He might need something."

I wanted to argue against it, but Al was already gone. I had a bad feeling about it. We could tell Edward later. Despite my complaints, I still followed Al.

We wandered around the hospital, looking for the teenager. As Al and I walked down a hall, I heard Ed's voice coming from a room. I tugged on Alphonse's glove and pulled him toward the room.

We opened the door to find Edward standing in the room with Clara.

"Brother, Brother. Bad news-" Al looked around. "Is something wrong?"

"What do you think, Al?!" Edward spat. He pointed accusingly at Clara. "Look at her! The nurse you thought is so great: she's Psiren! That transmutation circle's proof enough."

I hadn't noticed before, but Clara's shirt had been unbuttoned. On her sternum, one could clearly see a transmutation circle. It was impossible to miss.

Clara looked away. "The world isn't black and white like you think. You kids are too young to understand. A lot of bad things can happen in a life time."

"Please!" Ed scoffed. He was as stubborn as a mule sometimes. Some things he would absolutely refuse to believe. This was a prime example.

"I understand," We all looked up at Alphonse. "Lark and I just found out that this hospital is scheduled to be demolished."

He turned to Clara, a hopeful lilt in his voice. "You became a thief out of necessity and compassion. You're trying to save this place, aren't you?"

She blinked, for what reason, I was not sure. Then she stared at the floor, a miserable expression on her face. "Yeah, that's right. Do you think I like this? Flinching at every passing patrol. But the hospital needs money for all the patients and I need it, too." A single tear ran down her face. I was struck by how sad she sounded. Honestly, I had been thinking about Percole for the past couple of days. How they were doing; if they needed me; what they had done to my house. I shrugged off the thoughts. I promised myself I would start anew.

The room completely quiet, until Al said, "See, Ed. I told you she had a heart. Just like Mom."

The sound of footsteps approaching alerted us that someone was coming. The detective rushed in, yelling (His new mantra), "Mr. Elric! Mr. Elric! A new notice from Psiren-" he stopped, noticing the emotion in the room. "Am I interrupting something? Mr. Elric?"

Edward didn't reply. He seemed to be deep in thought. About what, this time I knew.

* * *

**When I first started writing this, I was planning to make it only one chapter. But, it got a little out of hand, and now it's two. I'm using the dialogue from the dubbed version, and let me tell you, it was not easy. I'm too lazy to try to come up with dialogue on my own, so I sat down in front of my TV and copied down all the dialogue as it played. One episode took me 2 hours to write down. And I'll be doing this on a weekly basis. **

**Can't believe I'm actually doing this.**

**Enough with the rambling! Thanks to those who favorited, followed, and reviewed! To those who didn't: favorite, follow, and review this story if you like it!**

**MissiB****: Wow, you read fast. I post a story, and then, ten minutes later, I get the email that says you reviewed! It's the best feeling in the world! I would hug you, except 1) This is the Internet and 2) I don't hug people. **

**marybeth/guest reviewer:**** Thank you! Actually, I prefer Brotherhood over the original. Don't kill me; it's just what I think. I could go on and on about why I like it better, but I have a feeling that will piss many people off. I'll always have a special place in my heart for it, though.**


	6. The Psiren's Call

Silent Song

Chapter 6: The Psiren's Call

* * *

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me. I do own the original content.**

* * *

Finding out that Clara was Psiren brought dark cloud over the three of us. Clara had abruptly left the room after the investigator came in, not saying a word to any of us. When she was gone, he filled us in on what was to happen that night. Edward hadn't said a word the entire time, not even telling him the woman that had just left was the criminal he was discussing.

Alphonse wholeheartedly believed that Clara was trying to save the hospital. The boy trusted people easily; his belief in humanity was astounding. He hadn't said anything to his brother or me after the detective came in, but he didn't need to. All of us were pondering what to do.

Clara had drawn sympathy from me. She just wanted to save something precious to her, like a normal human being. Had I been put in a position like that, I might have done the same. But that didn't mean I trusted her. Something else was bothering me. Her reactions were too dramatic; her eyes would widen before she confirmed things other people said. For such a good thief, her poker face was flawed. I could see through the facade and I didn't like it.

The detective had told us to meet him outside a mansion. I declined the boys' offer to go with them: I was too distracted to be of any help. They headed off when the sky became dark, leaving me alone in the hotel room.

I took out my notebook and started drawing all over it. I wasn't paying attention to what I was sketching; my mind was off wandering. When I finally looked down at my handiwork, I saw that I had doodled Clara's tattoo. My memory had always been pretty good. However, when it came to alchemy, everything I saw that had to do with it was permanently imprinted in my mind. I could easily recall a transmutation circle I had just seen once.

I stared at the paper, the gears in my mind turning. It had been awhile since I used a transmutation circle. I didn't need them anymore. All I had to do was clap my hands together, and I could transmute things. Of course, it still followed the rules of Equivalent Exchange. I had nothing against it; after all, it was the law of alchemy. My parents' work had been dedicated to finding a way around it, but I myself had no such desire.

I was still deep in thought, when the sound of footsteps in the streets surprised me. I looked out the window, to find Psiren dashing away. Quickly, I opened the window and jumped out. It was only a two story building, so I wouldn't hurt myself. I landed catlike onto the pavement, not making a single noise. Keeping in the shadows, I chased after the thief. I wanted to confirm for myself what she was going to do with the stolen goods.

It wasn't very long before she stopped. I ducked behind a building, and then peeked out. What had stopped Psiren was one blond teenage alchemist. She tipped her head toward him. "Thanks, kid. That was a good break. Why did you help?"

So that was why he was being so secretive. He had been planning on helping the thief. I melted into the darkness of the night, not making a noise.

Edward Elric shrugged nonchalantly and said, "It was nothing personal. I wasn't helping you. I know about bending the rules sometimes to do what's right. It was for the hospital."

Psiren chuckled. "What's so funny?" Ed demanded.

"Nothing," she answered. "You just sounded so grown up."

He blushed. "I am grown up, okay?"

"Well, is that so? As a grown up woman, I always repay my favors." she leaned down towards him. "Is there something you want me to do for you, Mr. All-Grown-Up-Man?"

Edward looked away, a faraway expression in his face. Then he met her gaze and said, "Actually, there is one thing. You're a savvy alchemist. You must have heard of the Philosopher's Stone. I want you to tell me everything you know about it. I have to get it no matter what or how long it takes."

Psiren straightened up in surprise, and then answered sadly, "Sorry, Edward. I can't help you with that." she leaned in again. "But how about this? If you do ever find out where the Stone is, I'll be happy to steal in for you."

That said, she started walking away. "Hey," Ed called quietly. The woman stopped. "I'm happy you can do this for the hospital."

I couldn't see her face when she replied, "Yeah. Thanks to you, Ed."

I stayed hidden in the shadows even after she disappeared. Edward was deep in thought, not moving from the spot where he was before. Eventually, I started to feel tired. I crept back to the hotel as quietly as I could, so no one would know I had gone outside.

I climbed back in through the window of my room. We were staying in a two bedroom suite. The boys stayed in one room; I stayed in the other. Al had already returned, judging by the light shining thought the cracks between the door and the doorway. Thankfully, my lights were off, and it looked as if he hadn't checked in me.

Edward's meeting with Psiren wasn't exactly what I had expected to see. To think that he would so freely ask about the Philosopher's Stone surprised me. He usually kept talk like that to Alphonse and me.

I quickly changed into my nightclothes and washed up. It really was late. A feeling inside me told me that the next day would be tiring. I needed to be ready for whatever tricks tomorrow would throw at me. As soon as I hit the pillow, my eyes closed and I fell asleep.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of an explosion. Immediately, I was on my feet. I threw the door open, and came face to face with Ed and Al. They were just as startled as I was. We all jumped back in surprise.

"What was that?" Al asked.

"I don't know," Edward replied. "Lark?" I shook my head. The sound had come from outside, judging by the fact that the building was not in fire.

Ed looked at me, and then flushed red. I was still in my nightclothes, which consisted of a loose shirt and a pair of shorts. The shirt was pulled to the side, revealing my bare shoulder. I sighed. Edward really was easily embarrassed. I honestly didn't care, as long as I wasn't showing anything important. He started stuttering, "I-Uh...-No-So-sorry-Ah-"

"Come on, Brother," Alphonse said, pulling his brother away. He didn't seem as embarrassed to see my state of dress. "Let's check it out later."

I giggled inwardly, shutting the door. I laid out the clothes I was changing into and took a shower. As I gazed into the mirror, something occurred to me: my neck hadn't been covered up. That meant the boys had seen my scar. My hands went instantly to it, tracing the puckered line. I was breathing hard, my mind unfocused.

I tried to pace my breathing: it was the only thing I was in control of at the moment. We had all been in a hurry; maybe they hadn't noticed it. If they did, it was too early in the morning to be sure. They could have thought it was a shadow.

I was able to calm down and get dressed. The bandana was tied securely over my throat, and then I entered the main room. The boys had ordered room service, so breakfast was already made. Edward was reclining at the table, stuffing toast in his mouth. When he saw me, he started choking in his toast. I rushed over and thumped on his back. He was able to gulp it down when I handed him a glass of juice. I sat next to him, rubbing his back as he coughed.

When he finally stopped, he stood up. Avoiding eye contact with me, he yelled, "We can go check out the source now!"

I was barely able to grab a bagel as they dragged me out.

We stood gaping at the wreckage before us. Where the hospital used to stand, there was a large pile of rubble. A "For Sale" sign topped it off. Edward was the first to react.

"What's going on here?! Don't tell me that flake tricked us!"

"That couldn't be!" Alphonse would forever defend the pretty nurse. "Clara's the last person who would do something like that. There has to be some mistake!"

My stomach growled. The bagel hadn't been enough. The boys ignored the sound.

"The only mistake is the one in that metal skull of yours! She's robbed you of your senses and played you like a freakin' harp!" Edward faced his brother, blond hair flying out in rage. It was almost comical.

Alphonse curled his hands indignantly and responded, "Don't say that, Brother. You know what will happen-"

"Brothers shouldn't fight. It's evil."

We all blanched when we saw who it was. Clara stood before us, dressed in a black habit and a wimple. A necklace with a cross adorned her neck. Her hands were held in a praying stance. All our expressions held the same question: "Why is she dressed like a nun?"

"Am I imagining this?" I swore I saw sweat drip off the armor.

"Wish you were."

When Edward demanded for an explanation, Clara took us to the convent she worshiped at. We followed her without question, still in shock. She stood beneath the stained glass and declared, "It's so terrible about the hospital! I tried to save it, but I couldn't get the money in time. I was devastated; the guilt was too much! I didn't know how to go on, so I became a nun." She turned to us, eyes sparkling with tears.

"Oh, Clara." Al said sadly.

Edward didn't bother with sympathy. "Yeah, I bet."

"It's the truth, Ed," Clara announced over-dramatically. "But those who do believe will be saved. The great Lord has told me there are other places that need my help, like this convent we're standing in. It's scheduled to be demolished. I pray that I can help." With that said, her tears spilled out of her eyes. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing like a child.

Alphonse moved to her side, comforting her. "You'll do it, Clara. All you have to do is try harder this time. We'll help however we can."

Edward crossed his arms. His expression was guarded, but I could see confusion underneath. I looked away from the scene before me. The way Clara spoke was so nauseating that I wasn't hungry anymore.

* * *

That night, Edward and I were both reading on the couch. We both looked up when Al burst through the door. He had gone into the town to interact with the townspeople. The way he rushed in told me that he had some urgent news. "Brother! Lark! More news!"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"They said Psiren struck again. The whole city is in an uproar. She did it! The convent's going to be saved!" I glanced at Edward questioningly.

"I'll let her have this one." he muttered before turning back to his book. I could only hope she was able to save the convent this time.

* * *

I would have laughed at the boys' facial expressions if only I hadn't worn the same one. The convent Clara was trying to save was gone. When the sound of a building collapsing woke me again, I had a sinking feeling inside me. All that was left of the convent was a pile of plaster and glass.

"It has to be a mistake. Maybe she couldn't find someone to sell it to-" Alphonse was interrupted by an angry blond alchemist. "Have your brains turned to mush?! She's a con artist, Al! She's been snowing us for a good laugh! The only saving she's doing is in her bank account!"

"Don't start that again! She's not like that." They stood toe to toe. Ed looked one comment away from growling like an animal.

"Do I need to put you two boys in a corner?" Without turning around, I could tell who the voice belonged to. The brothers' dropped jaws confirmed the mystery person.

Clara was giving us a stern glare. She was wearing a school teacher's uniform and a pair of glasses; her hair was pinned away from her face. A dozen young children were playing beside her.

"Wait," Edward stepped up to her. "What dress up doll outfit are you in today, _Clara_?" He emphasized her name in contempt.

"I know," Alphonse said optimistically. "You're a school teacher, right? The school you're working for is about to be shut down. And this time you won't be too late. Is that right, Clara? Isn't it?"

Clara smiled at him. My eyes narrowed. She had hesitated again.

"You guessed it. Maybe we shouldn't talk about it with the k-i-d-s." Though it wasn't as if the children were actually listening, she spoke a hushed tone.

"Like you care," Ed wasn't looking at anybody in particular. "Stop jerking us around. What are you really? Nothing but a thief after all. A common criminal who uses alchemy for her own selfish gains." His voice steadily got louder as he spoke and by the end, he was glaring defiantly at the woman.

She eyed him over her glasses and said quietly: "That's a very good question, Ed. But as I tell my children students, the best answer is the one we find on our own."

Sick and tired of her games, I whirled around and walked away from her. The sound of footsteps and metallic clanging told me that the brothers had followed. None of us said a word as we entered the center if the town. Townspeople and tourists were everywhere, chattering about different things. Over the clamor, someone was yelling, "Extra! Extra! Phantom thief Psiren announces her next big time mark."

Almost angrily, Ed strode over to a man who had just bought a newspaper. "Why do you people buy into this junk? She's nothing but a thief feeding off of all this attention."

The man stopped reading his paper and looked at Ed, "What are you talking about? We owe Psiren for saving this place. Attention's the least we can give. She's Aquroya's star of hope."

Ed calmed down, confusion replacing the anger. "You're going to have to explain that one to me."

"We're the city of water, and we're sinking by several feet a year. Come to see us in five years' time and the whole place will be at the bottom of the lake. News like that isn't exactly good for the economy. When it went public, anyone who left. The rest of us, well, we got lonely and sad.

That's when she appeared. Psiren. Like a lit match in a fuse, the city burst back into life. Orders came from all over. Tourists flocked here again for a chance to see her. Thanks to Psiren, we're having one last bloom before we drown."

The news stunned us all, but I guess I had known it all along. It wasn't too hard to see. The ruins were proof enough. From what I could tell, those buildings had been recent and they were already more than halfway underwater. Anyone with a basic knowledge of architecture and geography could see that this was not an ideal place to have a city.

We bid the man farewell, not sure what else to do. Edward started looking for a high place up, so he see for himself what the man had said. A little bit outside the city, we found a hill that overlooked the lake. When we reached the top, the sun was already setting.

We stared down at Aquroya, assessing the city. Even Edward had to admit that what the man had said was true. The sight of it just made us sadder. It was a long time before anyone spoke.

"When you think, Brother, it kind of makes sense. Maybe Clara really did become a thief to save the city. In a different way than we thought."

"Maybe," Ed's golden eyes gained a defiant glint. "Guess the only thing I can say for sure is this: she tricked me. The Fullmetal Alchemist. And she's at least going to pay for that."

* * *

Once Edward found out where Psiren was going to strike next, he headed out, leaving Alphonse and I at the hotel. Unbeknownst to him, I followed him.

They met on a canal, each rowing their own gondola. I hid behind a bridge, within earshot. Psiren stopped rowing when she saw Ed.

She smiled and spoke in a low, seductive voice: "I thought you would show up. It's been a while, hasn't it? A date here. On the water. In the moonlight. Just the two of us."

Ed remained impassive. "Shut up, thief."

"Oh, dear. Romance me with small talk," she stopped talking in her husky tone. "Yes, a thief. Someone who is obsessed with objects that don't belong to them."

She took off her mask and ran a hand through her hair, before delivering her punch line. "Like the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Maybe so. It's funny," the way he was speaking told me he wasn't telling a joke. "Every crook I meet wants to tell me how much I'm just like them. But there's a big difference between us and the burdens we bear."

Clara smirked. "Yes, bear. Love to." That said, she unzipped her shirt, revealing her tattoo. It glowed and a giant wave formed over Edward. The wave crashed into the boat and dragged him down with it.

I tensed to dive in after him, when, suddenly, a large hand made of earth came out if the water. It lifted Clara and closed, trapping her. A light flashed, and the hand burst open. Clara hopped out, running in the opposite direction of my bridge.

I dashed after her. Ed had resurfaced, and I ran past him.

"Lark! What are you doing here?" he gasped for air. I ignored him and kept running.

Though Clara had a head start, I was quickly catching up. I had always been a fast runner; what I lacked in strength, I made up for in speed. She heard my footsteps coming up behind her and took out a deck of cards. She threw them at me, each flying like knives. Without missing a beat, I clapped my hands and slammed them on the ground, forming a wall between the cards and I. Then, I transmuted a metal staff out of the ground and jumped over the wall.

I landed on the ground running, Clara only a little ways away. She looked behind her, surprised to see me. She finally stopped and smirked at me. "So it's just us two ladies, huh?"

I made no sign that I heard her, holding the staff in an offensive stance. She took out another deck of cards and blew on it. The cards expanded, making a sword. The thief leapt at me and I blocked with the metal rod.

She was taller than I was; therefore she had the upper hand. For now. I pushed the sword away, stepping back. Clara slid away, landing in her feet. While she was temporarily distracted, I rushed towards her. I hit a point in the side of her abdomen, hard enough to push her back a little. She merely looked surprised.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" she taunted. I only took a deep breath and came at her again. She swung her sword at me, but suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened and she clutched her midsection with one hand.

Before she could react, I hit her again, this time on the other side of her abdomen. She stumbled back. "What the-"

I struck her over and over on various parts of her body. Clara dropped the sword, her arms paralyzed. The rod met the center of her chest, and she fell onto the ground. I dropped the staff, and then knelt beside her. She tried to move, but she only succeeded in twitching a little bit.

My work done, I pulled out some rope and tied her wrists together. Just to be safe, I zipped her shirt back up. She wouldn't be moving anytime soon. The technique I had used on her temporarily paralyzed her body. When I hit the points on her body, I had been aiming for her pressure points. The technique was called dim mak.

Dim mak was a martial art that involved hitting people's pressure points. By doing so, it interrupted the body's flow of energy. If one hit them in the correct order, it could even kill someone. For once, this was something my parents didn't teach me, though they did teach me some basic martial arts. I had read about it in a book about acupuncture. I taught it to myself, but instead of using my palms, I used a staff. My body was small compared to some people's, so the staff allowed me to have a better reach.

It had been a while since I used the technique. I was out of breath from the running and fighting. Clanging and wet footsteps told me other people had arrived. I waved at Ed and Al with the back of my hand and turned to face them. Edward had an awestruck look on his face, and Alphonse seemed just as amazed.

"What did you do?" Ed asked. "I saw you hit her a few times with the stick and she dropped like a bag of rocks!"

I shrugged, not in the mood to be explaining things. I stood up, pulling the incapacitated woman with me. Alphonse had noticed her, and looked away sadly. It made me feel guilty, but there was nothing else I could do.

The police had arrived in the scene, so I handed Clara over to them. As they handcuffed her, she leaned over to Ed and me.

"That was some pretty handy fighting, girl. Reminds me of myself when I was your age." I nodded, not sure if that was a compliment or not.

She turned her gaze to Ed. "I'm sure you're going to be a fine grown up. When you are, let's do this deal again. It's always more fun when it's a woman and a man."

I wasn't sure how to react to her suggestive comments. One side of me wanted to laugh, the other wanted to hide in a corner. Edward, as always, blushed.

"But let me offer you one last little kernel before they haul me off. About a certain funny stone." Edward's eyes shot up to meet hers. "Go to a city called Xenotime, and take a good look. I've heard there's someone there who's researching the components behind it. Maybe he can help you."

With one last nod toward us, she was loaded up into the car. As she was driven away, I heard Ed mutter to himself: "Xenotime."

* * *

Before the news of Psiren's arrest could get out, the three of us left the city. As we sat in the train, we watched the scenery go by. Soon, the lake was out of our sights.

"Come on, Al. Are you still holding a grudge on us?" After Clara's arrest, Al hadn't said a word to Ed and I. "I had no choice, you know. I was only the officer, and she was the crook. Lark only stepped in because I couldn't do it. We just played our parts-"

Alphonse interrupted his older brother. "That's not true. She's not a crook. You've told me plenty of times that you can't go by the rules it follow the norms when you're doing what's right. Clara, she's kind and giving and heroic. You think the same thing, Brother, I'm sure you do."

Edward sighed and looked out the window. "I don't know, Al. When it comes to her, I guess I never will."

I reached over the gap between our seats and placed my hand over Al's. He looked from my hand to me. The glow that represented his eyes softened. "It's okay, Lark. I was never mad at you. I was never mad at all."

I smiled tentatively. Forget Clara, sometimes Alphonse Elric was the hard one to read.

* * *

**Yay! So the story is officially on track with anime now. Most of the dialogue comes directly from the Funimation dub of Fullmetal Alchemist.**

**Thanks to those who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! I love getting feedback, so please write reviews. Tell me what you think, anything I did wrong, or even send requests. Until next week!**


	7. Impostors

Silent Song

Chapter 7: Impostors

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do own the original content.**

* * *

_"Want to go play outside today?" Glory asked, blue eyes shining up at me. _

_"Girls," our mother walked in. "Glory, you can't go outside today. It's too cold."_

_The little blond pouted. "Awww." Even though she knew perfectly well why she couldn't go outside, she still complained. But she was always cheerful, even on days when she wasn't feeling so well. _

_"We can play inside," I suggested. "There's something cool Dad showed me yesterday." _

_I looked to my mother for confirmation. She nodded. "Go ahead. Just don't make too much noise. We have patients."_

_I grabbed my sister's wheelchair, and wheeled it down to the basement. That was where we practiced our alchemy. I ran to one side of the room, after making sure that Glory was comfortable. Her eyes followed me as I carried back a pot with soil in it. _

_"What are you supposed to do with that?" she asked, tilting her head. I put a finger to my lips. "It's a secret."_

_I set the pot down on the concrete floor and started drawing with chalk. For a few minutes, all that was heard was the clacking of chalk on concrete. When I was done, I inspected the circle. With a nod of my head, I declared the drawing done. I grabbed the pot and set it in the center of the transmutation circle. Taking a deep breath, I placed my hands on the edges of the circle. Glory's eyes widened as green lights flashed around the plant. "Wow..."_

_"Wait for it!" I smiled wide. Before our eyes, a small tendril grew out of the soil. It slowly expanded, until a bud rose out of the top. The bud bloomed, opening up its large, pink petals. The light died down and I picked up the pot. I handed it to my sister, carefully placing it in her hands. She sniffed it and giggled. "It's a peony, isn't it?"_

_"You can tell what flower it is just by smelling it," I crossed my arms. "Flower head."_

_She smiled slyly. "Like you're any better, alchemy lover. Peonies are your favorite flower, and you always smell like them."_

_I looked indignantly at her. "That's just me using biological alchemy." I stumbled a bit over the "biological". _

_"I know you better than anyone, Big Sister. Personally I like the scent. It suits you."_

_Though sometimes she could be annoying, I still loved my sister. And as her older sister, I always would. _

"Lark," a soft voice called to me. "Time to get up. We're here." I blinked my eyes open, slowly focusing on the suit of armor before me. In the background, I could hear the thudding and chugging of the train. I sat up straight, letting out a small yawn. I had fallen asleep on the train to Xenotime. The previous events in Aquroya had tired me out, and I had slept like a baby.

"Good," I heard someone say beside me. "You're up."

Readjusting the cloak I had fallen asleep in, I tilted my head to meet the golden eyes of my travel companion. I tapped my wrist, silently asking Ed how long I had been out.

"Just a few hours," he said, stretching his legs out. "The conductor just announced we'd be in Xenotime in a couple of minutes."

"Hey, Lark," the younger boy spoke. "When you were asleep, you looked really happy. Was it a good dream?"

Had it been any other person, I would have been creeped out by the question. However, it was Alphonse Elric, a naive, innocent child.

I just nodded at him, not wanting to go into detail. It had been a nice dream. Not really a dream; more like a happy memory. I had been eight, and my sister had been six. We were both mature for our age; our parents letting us have a limitless reign on knowledge. It was a peaceful time.

While I was deep in my thoughts, the train had come to a complete stop. Edward poked me on the shoulder. "Hey, Lark, stop spacing out. We're in Xenotime."

I immediately snapped out of my thoughts and grabbed my bag. We all stood up, heading for the exit. The train had stopped just outside the city. To get there, one would have to climb up a few hills. Fortunately, we seemed to be going up a lot of hills lately, so it was no problem.

When we reached the top of the hill, we stopped to get a good look at the city. The entire place was built around a mountain. Outside the town, there was a barren looking mine. In town, the houses were tall, all set on varying altitudes. Pine trees separated the space between the mountain and the houses. At the side of it sat a large mansion.

"Do you really think we're going to find the Philosopher's Stone in a rundown town like this?" Al asked his brother after glancing at the place. "Looking around, it's hard to believe they ever produced much gold at all."

Getting bored of staring, Edward started walking down the hill. Al and I followed him, not wanting to miss his response to Alphonse's question.

"Which is why they're all the more likely to be developing the Philosopher's Stone." Ed had a smug expression on his face. He had obviously been thinking about that topic for quite some time.

Xenotime was a gold mining town. However, years ago, the gold dried up. Unfortunately, Xenotime produced no other products. The town's profits dropped and people stopped going there. What Edward said made sense.

Alphonse, on the other hand, was still confused. "What do you mean?"

"Now that their mines are no longer producing gold, they got more reasons to transmute it. And they'd only do that with a Philosopher's Stone. But, with this being a former gold mining town, it wouldn't look too suspicious."

Al sighed. "Is money all that grownups think about?"

"Elisa!" We jumped at the voice. The sound had just come from the mine we were walking past. "Hey! Get over here! Give me a hand." Looking over, I saw that a little girl was trapped under a mining cart. Tears were running down her face as she struggled to get herself out.

Men surrounded it, all trying to push it away from. "It's no use," one man yelled frantically. "It won't budge!"

The little girl whimpered: "Daddy?"

Her father bent down to speak to her. "It's alright. We'll get you out of this. I promise."

"What's wrong?" Edward strode forward toward the people. Unsure of what to do, Al and I tagged along after him. I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head, not wanting dust to get in my face. They had not noticed us before, and they all stared. The father, however, didn't waste any time. "My daughter," he pleaded. "She's trapped."

Ed approached the cart, scattering the men surrounding it. He ducked down and looked under it. He then smiled comfortingly at the little girl. "Hold still for just a minute."

She stared at him with round, watery eyes, but did what she was told. Ed stepped back, clapping his hands. He placed them into the cart and changed it into a metal bar beside the girl. Blue electricity flew out and everyone, except Alphonse and I, gawked in amazement. It was like they had never seen alchemy before.

The little girl started crying in fright again, not noticing that she was no longer being crushed by the cart. It was only until her father picked up that she saw. She clung to her father's neck, laughing in relief. The man smiled at us gratefully. "Thank you so much for saving my daughter."

He held out his hand, shaking it with each of us. "My name is John and this is my daughter, Elisa. We live in the town nearby."

"Wow," one of the guys exclaimed. "Are all of you alchemists?" I nodded my head, hood still over it. The men looked really impressed.

"We don't have alchemists around these parts." one said.

"Not a lot of people come to visit here, either." Another added. John interrupted them. "You must have just gotten off the train. Are you hungry? I can take you to my house if you need a place to stay."

"We're fine-" Al was interrupted by his older brother, whose manners always seemed to be lacking. "Sure, why not?"

The men dragged us along, chattering aimlessly. They kept asking us about our alchemy, what we could do with it, etc. Edward reveled in being the center of attention, while I felt awkward. I pulled the hood over my face some more.

The strange questions about Al's armor were just as plentiful as the ones about our alchemy. When asked why he wore it, Al hurriedly responded with "It's just a hobby of mine. Nothing else."

I guess I must have looked pretty antisocial, because after attempting to get a response out of me, they stopped and went on to bother the others. Not that it was entirely my fault; though I did have my face covered.

John's house was located in the middle of town. By the time we got there, it was already nightfall. People had heard how Edward saved Elisa, and they flocked over. Dinner was already set up, but all the attention made me avoid pulling down the hood. They gathered around the table, all thanking us for what we had done. As always, Ed began eating like he hadn't had food for a month.

"I mean it," John started. "We sure are lucky to have a real alchemist like you show up when you did. I can't begin to thank you enough."

"Don't forget about his metal father." Elisa added. Hearing her words, Al stiffened in shock. I was more surprised by the notion she thought Alphonse was Ed's father. Most people would just assume that Al was his older brother.

Edward started laughing, only stopping to say: "No, you got it all wrong. Al's not my father; he's actually my younger brother."

The girl stared at them in wonder. "Younger brother? But he's so much bigger than you are."

Edward immediately stopped laughing and growled menacingly at her. I moved my head so the cloak would cover up the wide grin that was forming. Al didn't even bother hiding his laughter.

When he was done, he said to Elisa: "Anyway, we're all just glad you're okay, Elisa."

The adults all smiled at how sweet the boy was. Alphonse didn't even have to try to do that. He just was like that all the time.

Without warning, the front door opened and a man rushed in. "Elisa!" he panted. "Elisa! Are you alright?"

The little girl's face brightened. "Uncle Belsio!" She started running toward her uncle, but her father held her back. "Daddy?"

John glared at the man standing in the doorway. The mood in the room immediately darkened. "Get out. You've got some nerve, showing your face in house now, after almost getting my poor daughter killed."

He spun the girl around to face him and put his hands firmly on her shoulders. "Listen to me, Elisa. No matter what he says, do not offer to help him with his work ever again."

"No, Daddy," Elisa pleaded. "None of that was Uncle Belsio's idea. I begged him to let me help out-" She was interrupted by a fit of coughs coming from herself. Her small body wracked with each one. Immediately, my mind went through what kind of cough it was. It wasn't a wet cough, but it didn't seem like a harmless one. I hadn't encountered something like that before.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." John said sympathetically. He picked up a glass of water from the table. "Here. Drink this."

Belsio looked around the room, only to find that everyone was giving him angry glares. My heart wrenched when I realized the expression on his face matched how I had felt when Percole drive me out. What had he done to deserve all this?

He put the basket of lemons he had been carrying onto the table. He opened the door, but before leaving, he said: "I am sorry."

Everyone in the room became silent, until Elisa said softly to her father: "Uncle Belsio told me your lemon pies were always the best, Daddy, and it was a shame all the lemon farms were shut down. I thought maybe if I helped him, I could taste your pie."

Another man stepped up. "Don't worry. When the Philosopher's Stone is finished, we can all be rich and we can afford to buy all the fruit we want from some other town."

Ed, Al, and I all perked up. "Philosopher's Stone?" Ed questioned.

"Yes," A second man stared at us like he just had an epiphany. "That's it. The three of you must have come here at this time to assist Mr. Mugear and finish the Philosopher's Stone."

"Please do everything in your power. Make it as fast as you can. We want Xenotime to once again be the town of gold."

"We must claim what is rightfully ours!"

"We are counting on you alchemists."

"Our children must not suffer any longer!"

We looked at each other nervously. I fidgeted a little bit, while Al became fixated on a particularly interesting piece of chicken. Then, Edward rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Wow, that really puts a lot of pressure on us. I guess we just have to visit Mugear now and figure out what to do."

I started standing up, desperate to escape the prying stares of the villagers. The pleading looks on their faces stopped me. "Before you go, can you tell us the names of our saviors?"

"Certainly," Ed gestured dramatically to himself. "I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"I'm his brother Alphonse Elric," Al said before pointing to me. "This is Lark."

I was starting to think I needed a better title.

"Huh?" the townspeople cast confused glances at each other. "The Elric brothers-state alchemist: hero of the people-Elric?"

Edward nodded eagerly. "Yup."

Before I could process what was happening, I was out on the streets, my bag being tossed roughly at me. I quickly ducked to the side to avoid being nailed in the head. A crash and an angry "What was that about?" told me the brothers had received the same treatment.

"Shut up," someone standing in the door way snarled. "The real Elric brothers are already here in town, up there." He pointed at the mansion in the mountain. "Come back when you're ready to tell us who you really are."

He slammed the door, leaving us out in the cold. I glared at the house, pulling the cloak closer to me. Then it struck me: I was with the real Elric brothers. Who were the impostors?

Ed was thinking the same thing, because he got up and brushed himself off. "Come on," he tilted his head toward the mountain. "We're paying them a visit."

Ten minutes, we were standing outside the gate of the mansion. Edward peeked out the side of the wall. "Now why would somebody go around using our names?"

Al and I glanced worriedly at each other.

"Brother, are you really going got sneak in there?" Alphonse asked for the both of us.

"Of course we are," Ed whispered confidently. "To confront those impostors; to get them to tell us all about the Philosopher's Stone."

Without warning, Ed sprinted across the clearing to the side of the house. I sighed. Unfortunately, traveling with the Elric brothers meant a lot of trouble. I had no choice but to follow him.

As quietly as he could, Ed clapped his hands together and created an opening on the side of the building. He climbed in, followed by Al. As I carefully maneuvered myself over the stones, I heard two people talking. I froze, listening for footsteps. When no one shouted, I figured it had nothing to do with us.

When I emerged into the main hall, I saw the boys inspecting the bookshelves. Edward picked up a book and opened it up. He shoved it towards Alphonse. "Look at this. All these books are about the Philosopher's Stone."

"Then this must be where they're making it, right?"

"No doubt about it."

I pulled out a book from a nearby bookshelf. I started reading it, but most of the information I already knew. Then, I heard the door at the end of the hall open. I darted behind the bookshelf, hiding myself from sight.

A young, male voice said, "In case the guards weren't proof enough, this place is off limits."

I peeked out from my hiding place. In the doorway stood two boys, one taller than the other. The taller one seemed like the eldest. He had blond hair that covered one eye. The one that wasn't covered was narrowed at the brothers.

The shorter one peeked out from behind him. His hair was the same shade of yellow, but it was cropped shorter. Neither of them had seen me, so I remained behind the shelf.

Alphonse turned to them. "By chance, are you the ones-"

"-Stealing our names?" Edward finished for his brother. He glared at the impostors.

The taller boy smirked. "I take it that means you are the real Ed, in the suit."

The shelf shook under my silent laughter. Nobody noticed.

"Me?" Al pointed to himself in confusion.

"No, you dolt," Edward shoved himself to the front. "I'm Ed, not him. Why does everybody always think that?!"

The smaller boy stared at the brothers. "Huh? So you're the older brother?"

"Damn right." Edward retorted. The little boy ducked behind his older companion, giggling.

"Try to tone It down a notch, or the gunmen will realize you're here," the elder one said cockily. "How bizarre. The real younger brother wears a suit of armor to protect himself. It's hard to believe you are only fourteen."

"How do you know so much about us?" Al asked.

"You wanna start something with me?!" Ed demanded. He stomped up to the other boy.

"No, I don't want to fight with you, Ed," the impostor said flippantly. "So why don't you run around and go home and leave us to take care of things around here."

"That's not the way you beg someone to do something," Edward pointed to the floor. "On your knees."

When the other boy didn't react, Ed pointed more insistently at the ground. "I said get down on the ground!"

His impostor shrugged. "So we can see eye to eye? Surely you must be used to people looking down on you."

Growling, Edward aimed a punch at the taller boy, who dodged it. Ed tried again, but the other moved his head to the other side. The process repeated, until the latter grabbed his opponent's right punch.

"An automail arm, huh? Has the real Ed seen some action, too?"

"And I'm glad to see you have some skills. I'd hate to have you damaging my name!" With a shout, Edward threw his leg up in kick, aiming for his enemy's head.

Again, the other boy dodged. Both blonds slid back, glaring daggers at each other. Edward rushed toward the imposter. This time, the other boy punched Ed in face, sending him flying into one of the bookcases.

"You know," the taller one straightened up. "I've always wanted to find out what a certified state alchemist was capable of."

"And I think you're going to be sorry you asked!" Ed kneeled down, and then transmuted a bunch of spikes at his opposer.

Yet again, he was not able to land a hit.

"Not bad," his foe shouted over the crashing. "You don't need a circle, huh?"

Before Ed could respond, a red light flashed out, and spikes came at him.

"He doesn't need a circle, either." Al cried. My eyes widened. Red sparks. Did he have a-?

The lights flashed again, this time a wall of stone shot out. Edward tackled Al to side, the projectiles crashing near me. I jumped out to avoid being crushed by the falling books.

"How did you-?" Ed yelled out. "You have a Philosopher's Stone?!"

Over the din, I heard someone shout: "What was all that commotion?!"

"It came from the in here!" the voices got closer. Everyone froze, all staring at the door.

Footsteps were approaching, and if they came any closer, we would be busted. I ran up to the wall of rock, opening up a hole.

I whistled loudly for the Elric's and leaped through the opening. Everybody looked up at me, but before they could react, I grabbed my companions and dragged them out of the room.

Men were running around all over the place, so we were able to escape in all the chaos. Nobody tried to stop us and we made it to a hill. We collapsed on the soft grass, breathing hard.

"Thanks, Lark," Al thanked me. He was the only not out of breath. "We couldn't have got out without you."

I waved, as if to say: "It's nothing." I was still sucking in deep breaths of air.

"Damnit," Edward gasped. "I feel sore all over."

"I bet he was pretty powerful, huh?"

"He had something giving him a boost." Edward snapped at his brother. Then the mood turned more serious.

"Does that mean they finished making a Philosopher's Stone?" Al questioned his brother.

"I don't know, but we're going to find out."

"You know," Alphonse said quietly. "I wonder what those brothers' real names are. Or if they are really brothers at all."

He brightened up. "And I wonder if the older brother is much older than you or-"

Edward hit Al, causing the armor to land on me. "Size doesn't mean anything."

Despite my nap on the train, I was way too tired to shove the boy off me, so I just stayed sprawled over on my side. Al scrambled to get off of me. "Ooowww. Brother, you made me almost squish Lark!"

"Sorry," the blond muttered. I stayed lying on the grass. He popped up next to me. "You awake there?"

I glanced at him, noticing that his right cheek was swelled up. I sat up and felt Al's armor. It was cool. Taking Ed by surprise, I pressed his face against the metal. After a couple of seconds, Edward relaxed and basically started snuggling up his brother's leg. He looked like a cat with a wad of catnip.

"It's starting to swell up pretty good." Alphonse remarked.

"Ahh," Edward sighed. "Your cold metal feels just like an ice pack. Thanks, Lark."

I waved it away again. As a doctor, it was basically an instinct.

Al giggled. "Glad I could be of some comfort to you, Brother. Even in this armor."

I heard footsteps coming behind us, but I didn't feel like turning around. I fell back into the grass again. The brothers looked up at the stranger.

"Hey, you were the guy with the lemons before, right?" Ed questioned.

I tilted my head to catch a glimpse of the man. It was the man who got kicked out of the house earlier.

Without meeting any of us in the eye, he said: "If you need a place to board up, you can come with me."

The brothers accepted the offer, and before I knew it, we were sitting in his kitchen. Belsio slid a tub of water with a towel in it towards us. I pulled my hood back and rubbed the damp towel over my face.

"Thank you so much for taking us in." Al said.

"Couldn't very well let you kids sleep outside, could I," Belsio answered. "Your friend over there looked like she was going to fall asleep on her feet." He went back to the sink.

"Aren't you going to ask us what our names are?" Edward eyed the man with a little suspicion.

"You're the Elric brothers. That's what you say." I ignored the fact he had omitted me from his reply.

Al stood up. "Then you believe us?" he asked hopefully.

"Honestly, not in the least. I don't know about your friend, but you kids must have your own reasons for saying that you are," Belsio shrugged. "Makes no difference to me. To each his own."

"So you're not into the Philosopher's Stone like your neighbors are?" Edward questioned. I perked up a little before I slumped over again. The world went dark, but I was able to hear the answer.

"Everyone else is unable or unwilling to forget the wealth the gold once brought them, so Mugear has them wrapped around his finger."

* * *

Belsio shook his head. "No matter what I say, no one wants to forget the past. I guess that's just the way people are."

Edward stood up and stretched. He could feel himself getting sleepier by the minute. "It's getting late. Let's go to bed."

"Uh, Brother?" Edward glanced at his brother, who was looking at Lark. "Lark fell asleep."

"Just pick her up." Edward too tired to think of anything else . He didn't bother to repeat his words.

Al stood in the room, still unsure what to do with the girl. She looked dead to the world, not that he could blame her. She had pulled both of the brothers along, not an easy task, especially since they had been running.

Left with no other choice, Alphonse slowly pulled the chair from the table and scooped Lark up. She made no movement. He relaxed, glad that he hadn't awoken her from her much needed sleep.

As he carried her to the second bedroom, he noticed that her bandana and cloak were tangled around her neck. Afraid that she would be choked by them, he set her down on the bed and gently undid the knots. He set the bandana in the side table, and then spread the cloak under the sleeping brunette. Something caught his eye.

There was a line on her neck. The feature had been seen by him before, in Aquroya, when the explosion had awakened them. Al moved closer. No, not a line, a scar. It puckered out, running across the width of her throat. It seemed as if a knife had been cut into it.

Perhaps that was the reason Lark couldn't talk.

Lark shifted, pulling the cloak closer to her body. Alphonse's gaze snapped up to her face, making sure she was still asleep. Shame in himself settled in. Lark had always kept her throat covered; she had obviously not wanted anybody to see it.

For once, Al decided that he wasn't going to mention what he saw to his brother. It was Lark's secret; she could decide when or if she wanted to tell it.

* * *

**These chapters are getting longer and longer. I have no idea how I do it. I only write for an hour every night, and each chapter takes a week. I do have about 2 or 3 of these in storage, in case I don't have time to write.**

**Anyways, big thanks to those who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. For those who didn't: please do.**

**Please, please, please, please review. Please?**


	8. Winter Special

Silent Song

Winter Special

* * *

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me. I do own the original content.**

**This has nothing to do with the main story. Just a extra little something.**

* * *

Glory stared out the window; her head set out on her arms, and sighed. I glanced up to her from the book I was reading. "What?"

"Do you think it will ever snow here?"

I scoffed. "It's eighty degrees here in the winter. How is snow even possible?"

"I don't know." She looked disappointed by the notion, like my words were final.

"What's with the sudden fascination with snow, anyway?"

She shrugged and turned to me. "I've never seen it before. I'll probably be stuck in this desert place forever. Then I'll never be able to see it. Ever!"

I reached over and mussed with her blond hair. "Don't say that! I promise we'll explore the world someday! Go to Briggs and freeze our butts off in snow!"

She ducked her head out from under my hand. She giggled. "You're so silly, Big Sister."

"Girls!" our mother called. She was currently in a patient's room, doing a check-up. "Can one of you get a stethoscope?"

Both Glory and I stood up. I gave her a questioning look.

"I'm feeling better today," she argued. "I can get it!"

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. There was no denying she was doing well today, since she didn't even need her crutches. But I was afraid she would hurt herself if she tried too hard.

"Just watch," she insisted. "I'm almost eight now!"

I crossed my arms as she made her way to the cabinet holding the tools. She stood on her tip-toes and pulled open the door. Glory stretched her arms, fingers barely scraping the tip of the shelf. Her face started turning red from exertion.

Just as I was about to get up and help her, she turned to me, and muttered, almost inaudibly, "Okay. Fine. I need your help."

I walked over to her, an "I told you so" smirk in my face, and easily grabbed the stethoscope off the shelf. I skipped to the room where my mother was, stethoscope swinging from my fingers.

"Here you go!" I sing-songed as I handed the tool over to my mother.

"Thanks, Birdie," My parents called me "Birdie" as a nickname, because of my given name. "How's your sister doing?"

"She tried to get the stethoscope," I told my mother dismissively. "But she's too short, so I got it for her!"

"Turn around," That order was directed toward the patient, the old lady who sold the lettuce. She had injured her back the other day when she harvesting her other vegetables in her garden. My mother instructed her to move while she listened. "That was nice of you to help your little sister."

I nodded happily; glad to receive my mother's praise. Then I remembered something. "Does it snow here?"

The old lady let out a rasping cackle. "In my entire life here, I've never seen a flake of snow. I barely even know what ice looks like!"

"Oh..." I felt disappointed. Perhaps it was Glory who brought it up, but I had wanted to see snow as well.

"Don't worry about it," my mother said soothingly. "It's nothing exciting."

I made a sharp about face. "You think it's boring because you've seen it before!"

I knew both my parents had grown up outside of Percole. They had come from different places, but met in Central. Somehow, they had decided to move to a small place like this, and settled down. Glory and I were forever begging them to tell us what their life had been like.

"She's right, Doctor," the old woman said as my mother took her blood pressure. "You outsiders think nothing's exciting anymore because you've seen it all. We've lived here our entire life."

I looked at her curiously. "You're a grown up. How come you didn't go outside?"

My mother answered for her. "The world is a big place. If you're not careful, you might get lost or even hurt."

"Oh, don't scare her," the old lady laughed. "By the time you're my age, not everyone can be that cruel."

My mother didn't say a word to respond. She quickly changed the subject, asking her, "How have you been feeling lately?"

I frowned a little bit. "I've been having trouble walking lately," the old woman replied. "My joints have been hurting whenever I try."

My mother tapped her clipboard. "Your weight chart also says that you've been losing weight," She picked up one of the old woman's hands and held it up to me. "Birdie, what do you think?"

Her knuckles were red and swollen. Her other joints must have felt the same. "It sounds like arthritis."

My mother nodded and turned back to the patient. "It is arthritis. The muscle you pulled yesterday doesn't have anything to do with it, though."

She scribbled something on her clipboard. "Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to stop it. I can help stop the inflammation, but it will get harder and harder for you to garden. The pulled muscle will be fine. However, you'll need more assistance, now. Is there anyone who can help you?"

"My children are too busy," the old lady sighed. "Guess there's no more lettuce."

Without meaning to, I let out a little cheer. I never did like lettuce. It was too green and crunchy. When my mother raised an eyebrow at me, I clapped a hand over my mouth and stared back at her innocently.

"Lark and the neighborhood kids can help you," Ugh. I hated my big mouth. "I'll go ask the other parents later. It wouldn't be the same without your vegetables."

"The kids need something to do these days," the old woman agreed. "That would be lovely."

Oh, crap.

* * *

_Thud!_

_Whump!_

_"_Owww..."

"Sorry!"

True to her word, my mother had rounded up all the neighborhood kids and set us loose on the garden. There were six of us, including me and Glory, who had begged like crazy.

Davis rubbed his head. "Glory, be careful with that shovel, you klutz."

I smacked him in the arm, purposely hitting a pressure point. "Don't call her that! It's your fault that you gave her something so heavy."

He clutched his arm, eyeing me with reproach. Davis was about the same age as me, with dark brown hair and tan skin. When we were younger, he made fun of me all the time, and poked at me until I was black and blue. In fact he was my main inspiration to learn how to fight. After I ended up throwing him over my shoulder into a mud puddle, he stopped bothering me. Unfortunately, Davis' new target was Glory.

Glory never was the strongest person, or the fastest, but she was the sweetest. And my little sister. No sister of mine was going to get bullied by Muddy Davy.

"Guys, get working!" Allie called. "We still have the carrots!"

Simultaneously, we all groaned. "I thought we already did them!" Lily yelled out.

"Those were turnips!"

Allie and Lily were identical twins. Both were nine years old, with black hair, gray eyes, and light, freckled skin. That was where their similarities ended.

Allie was the older twin by twenty minutes. She had long hair pulled into a neat ponytail. Her vision was pretty bad, I knew because I had read her charts, so she wore glasses. Allie dressed cleanly and primly, never a rip or tear in her clothes. She was very serious, and liked being in charge. We had deemed her "Bossy". Despite that, she and I talked all the time.

Lily, on the other hand, was completely different. Her hair was cropped short, and messy, for there was always a leaf or something stuck in it. She and I climbed around all over place, getting dirt tracked everywhere. However, she was more of a troublemaker than I was. Every week, she was getting yelled at by her sister for doing something. Lily had been the one to start her sister's "Bossy" nickname.

Lily grabbed a bucket and ambled over to her sister. She held it up to her. "Aren't these carrots?"

"Those are turnips," Allie said patiently. "They're purple. Carrots are orange."

"What's the difference?"

Glory looked up from her digging. "Turnips are part of the mustard family, while carrots are part of the parsley family."

When Lily stared at her blankly, Glory giggled. "Carrots are longer. Turnips are rounder. They taste different."

"Whatever," Lily shrugged, while Allie rolled her eyes at her sister's idiocy. "I'll grab another bucket."

"Already got one," Alex said as he popped up out of nowhere. "Here." He threw the bucket towards the twins. I giggled when the bucket only made it half way, and flopped onto the ground. He blushed, embarrassed by his mistake.

Alex was two years older than me. He had dirty blond hair, and light brown eyes. His body was stocky, like a bull's, because he helped his father, the local blacksmith, all the time. I really liked him, because he was funny and always treated Glory kindly.

Glory waggled her light brows at me, while Davis scoffed at the failure. Even Allie cracked a smile.

We all finished with digging up the potatoes, and moved on to the carrots.

"Oh, shoot," Allie cried suddenly. "I forgot to get my gardening gloves. Glory, can you get them for me?"

The rest of us glanced at each other in confusion. Bossy always had things in order. How could she forget something?

When Glory disappeared inside the old woman's house, Allie pulled us all together in a circle. "Okay, so does anybody know what day tomorrow is?"

Davis crossed his arms. "It's December 25th."

"Anything else, Davy?" I snarked back at him.

He shrugged. I glared at him until he slowly backed away from me. "Tomorrow's Glory's birthday. She's turning eight!"

"Shhh!" Lily warned me. "She might hear!"

Davis' eyebrows temporarily went up. "The pipsqueak's turning eight?"

"Of course!" I whispered exasperatedly. "What did you think she was, one hundred?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but Allie interrupted. "Guys, focus!"

"Yessir!" Lily and Alex mock-saluted her. She ignored them.

"Lark, do you have everything?"

I stopped my giggling. "Yup. Mrs. Draus from the bakery owes me for treating her burns, so I ordered a cake on the house. Mr. Humberg from the store got some soda, too. Mom and Dad are going to help me set up the other stuff."

"Right," Allie turned to Lily and Alex. "Do you know your parts?"

The two of them were crouched down on the ground, inspecting something.

"Poke it."

"No! What if it gets mad?"

"It's just a caterpillar! It can't get mad."

"Ewww! It's oozing!"

"Guys," I stage-whispered. "Glory could come back any second!"

"Yeah, yeah," Lily looked back at us, a bored expression on her face. "We distract Glory while Lark gets the party set up."

Alex nodded. "And we get some candy."

"Good," Allie pulled them back into the circle. "Now, does everyone have their presents ready?"

Davis shifted uncomfortably. "Why should I get one?"

"Because, Davy, if you don't, her older sister's going to kick your butt again." I raised my shovel menacingly at him.

"That was just dumb luck!"

"Suuure," I smirked. Then, I changed to a more serious note. "You're mean to her all the time, but I know you don't hate her. If you get her a present, it will make up for it."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"It's not that I don't want to," Davis admitted. "I just don't know what to get her."

I thought for a little bit and finally decided, "I'll only give this deal once: you can give my present to Glory."

Alex butted in. "But what are you going to give her, Lark?"

"I'll figure it out." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"You better," Allie put her hands on her hips. She looked like a schoolteacher. "Anybody else?"

The others shook their heads. "Good. We'll meet tomorrow at Lark and Glory's house."

We scattered when Glory appeared from the house, holding the gardening gloves. She handed them to Allie, and then leaned down beside me.

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Oh, nothing," I said loudly. "Just about how I was going to clobber Muddy Davy with the turnip bucket."

"Hey! What did I do this time?"

"I thought they were carrots."

"_Turnips aren't carrots!"_

* * *

I shouldn't have given my gift, a flower necklace, to Davis. I was chock out of ideas.

I thought about giving her some hair ribbons, but she already had enough of them. Or maybe a book, except I wouldn't be able to source one she hadn't read, in a day.

I sat in the waiting room, trying to set Mr. Toamer's arm. He was a traveling merchant, and had broken his arm when his horse got spooked by a snake and threw him off. The bone had broken in two places, so I had to put them back in place before giving him a cast.

He gritted his teeth as I concentrated on the placement. The poor man let out grunts of pain, too manly to yell, whenever I moved his arm. Finally, I was able to put the pieces in the correct places. I laid his arm on the table, because he was lying on his back in the couch.

I straightened up, and told him, "Well, you broke your ulna in two places. The good news is: you'll only need the cast below the elbow, which I will make for you right now." It was always a good idea to tell the patient what you were going to do, so they wouldn't get scared.

"Aw, damn," Mr. Toamer said as I got up to get the supplies to make a cast. "That was my writing hand."

I came back and set the supplies on the table. I started disinfecting his arm. "It won't stop you from doing your job, though, will it?"

"No, it won't," He let out a rumbling chuckle. "Why? Do you need something?"

"Yeah. What did you bring back this time?" I unrolled a stockinette, measured it, and slipped it onto his arm.

"Well, I got some leather and wool. The leather's pretty good quality and the wool's from the country."

"Why would we need wool?"

"It gets cold at night in deserts. And I don't just sell to you guys."

I put another cover on his arm to protect it from the plaster. Then, I dipped bandages in plaster, and began arranging them over his arm. "What other places do you go?"

"Mostly in small towns. Sometimes in the bigger cities."

Curiosity hit me. "Does it snow in the places you go?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Of course."

"What's it like?" I asked as I continued spreading the plaster. "The snow."

"It's cold and white," He started. I waited for the other details. "When it melts, it turns to water. It's annoying because snow sticks to everything, and then you're cold and wet."

"It still sounds cool," I remarked. I finished putting on the plaster, and smoothed it over. "Glory said something about wanting to see it."

He let out another laugh. "Someday, you girls can come on a trip with my wife and the kids, and see for yourself."

"Not on my watch are my girls going near your sons." A voice called from behind me.

I quickly finished the cast and whirled around to face the person. "Daddy!"

I tried to give him a hug, but he held me back. "Whoa! You got plaster on your hands. I just took shower."

I frowned. "What were you doing?"

"I was at the Granwin's," he said as he ran a hand through his hair, a shade darker than mine. "Their horse had some birthing complications."

"Had to stick your hand down there?" I giggled at the thought, as much as it disgusted me.

He groaned, putting his face in his hands. "Yes."

I turned back to Mr. Toamer and said, "You'll have to wait a few more minutes for that to dry enough to move."

"I'll be fine," he nodded at my father. "Good to see you, Doctor. How's Bertha?"

My father stared at him. "Neither my wife's nor my daughters' names are Bertha."

I coughed into my plaster-covered hands. "The Granwin's horse's name is Bertha." He had headed out early this morning, so the day must have taken its toll.

"Oh! Yes, Bertha's doing fine, now. She had a boy. Strong little guy," he answered, and then muttered to himself: "I knew I heard the name somewhere."

He leaned down to inspect what I was doing. "So, what happened here?"

Mr. Toamer answered, "Goldthroat threw me off. Your daughter was setting my arm."

My father nodded, "Good job, Birdie. Where did he break it?"

"He broke his ulna," I chirped. "In two places."

"You're a lucky man. Could've broken your neck. Now what is it about taking my daughters on a trip?"

"She wanted to see for herself what snow is like," Mr. Toamer stared at his arm. "How long do I have to do this?"

"Just a few more minutes," My father eyed me, a strange glint in his eyes, the same one Glory got when she was going into a spiel about something. "Snow is just precipitation in the form of ice crystals, formed directly from the freezing of the water vapor in the air."

I processed his words, an idea popping into my head. I whirled back to Mr. Toamer.

"How much is the leather and wool worth, exactly?"

* * *

I woke up early the next morning. Well, I always woke up early. I was a deep sleeper, yet I awakened at dawn, like a rooster.

When I came back to my bedroom, I grabbed the package on my side table, and flounced over to my sister's bed, just across the room. She was still sleeping, long blond hair covering her face. I grabbed her arm and shook her. "Hey! Wake up!"

She stirred, but didn't fully awaken. Unlike me, Glory always woke up later in the morning. When she was younger, she would throw giant fits if someone tried to wake her before eight o'clock. The good news was that she didn't anymore. However, I still had to watch out for her flying limbs.

"Rise and shine!" I tugged at her blankets.

She swatted at me sleepily. "Get away. The sun isn't even up this early."

I poked at her cheek. "Yes it is. Besides, don't you remember what day it is?"

Glory sat straight up, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She shot me a crooked grin. "It's my birthday!"

I shoved the wrapped package at her. "Open it! Open it!"

She looked at me funny. "Isn't it too early for presents?"

"It's never too early for presents!"

She shrugged off my hyper behavior and started carefully untying the bow. Then, she picked at the tape surrounding the gift. The more time she took unwrapping the present, the more slowly it passed. Finally, she pulled the package open and took out the present. "Huh? Gloves?"

I ignored her confusion. "Come on. Get into your wheelchair. There's something I want to show you."

I managed to get her in the wheelchair. It was a difficult feat, considering that her hair was sticking all over the place. She asked me questions as I quietly wheeled her down the hallway, into the kitchen.

My parents were already up, taking care of the inpatients. The rest of the house was empty; the only sound was Glory's slightly panicked words. We went through the kitchen, past the oatmeal my mother had made for breakfast.

I stopped the wheel chair in front of the basement door, and opened it. Glory stared down at the ramp inside. "Lark? What's down there? Did you leave something down there?"

I smiled mysteriously. "Close your eyes. I'll tell you when to open them."

She did what I told her to do, placing her small hands over her eyes. She chewed at her lip nervously as I slowly maneuvered her wheel chair down into the basement. I stopped the chair at the bottom of the ramp, and stepped around her, bare feet slapping the cold floor.

"Put your gloves on. But don't open your eyes!"

She slipped on her gloves, eyes still squinted together tightly. "What do I need them for?"

I picked something up from the floor near me, and threw it at her. It hit her, exploding all over her clothes. Glory shrieked, eyes flying open.

"Hey! What was that for-?"

She stopped when she took a good look at the room. Just about every surface in the room was covered in the cold substance called snow.

Cold, white down was spread over the ground, sparkling in the light. Fluffy ice crystals flew through the air. I had thrown a snowball at Glory.

"This is what the gloves are for." I answered, a giant grin pasted on my face. She remained speechless.

I dumped a small bucket of snow on her head. She shook her head, sputtering. "Okay, I get it! How did you do this?"

"Alchemy." After my father sparked the idea, I had spent most of the night reading about water transmutations. Then, I worked out a circle, testing it until I was finally able to make snow, not just ice.

In the morning, I crept quietly into the basement, lowered the temperature in it, and started transmuting snow. It had taken a lot of water, me refilling buckets, and then dragging it back to the space.

"Wow. I can't believe you would do this for me. I can't imagine how long this took you!" Glory grinned at me.

I smiled back at her. "One more thing. Turn the gloves inside out."

She slid the gloves off and flipped them inside out. Then, she stared at what I had stitched inside. I watched as the realization of what it was dawned on her.

"It's a transmutation circle!"

"Yup," I nodded. I had used the leather and wool I bought from Mr. Toamer to make them. The outside was leather, while the inside was lined with the wool. I had stitched the circle on the inside, so no one else would know what was inside.

My parents had taught Glory and I alchemy. We both loved learning it, but were told to never show it to anybody else. They had said something about Ishvalans or what not, and how the villagers were related to them, then something else, so alchemy offended them.

I crossed over to the adjoining room, filled a small bucket with water, and brought it back to Glory. I set it down on her lap, and said, "Use the circle."

"Um. Okay." Her hands hovered over the water, and then, a flash of light enveloped the bucket. When it died down, the water was gone. It had been replaced by soft snow.

Glory's eyes filled with tears. "I don't know what to say, Big Sister."

I scooped up a handful of the stuff and blew it in her face. She blinked rapidly, tears disappearing.

"Happy birthday, Glory."

* * *

**Happy holidays to you all! I'm pretty sure that Christmas doesn't exist in Amestris, so I replaced it with Glory's birthday. Isn't she the cutest?**

**I actually wasn't planning on making a Winter special, but the idea kind of popped into my head at the last minute. Then it spiraled out from there.**

**Allie, Lily, Davis, and Alex are all original characters I made up. They belong to me. Of course, this includes Lark, Glory, their parents, and anybody else who appeared in here.**

**So, thank you to those who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. And to those who didn't: Please do so.**

**Tell me what you think, whether or not I should do this in the future, etc.**

**Extra note: I just drew a bunny, manga-style, and posted it on DeviantArt. It would be much appreciated if you check it out. The link is on my profile.**

Jaylathecerealkiller. deviantart. com

**12/25/13 note: OMG the site was down for so long. I was planning on uploading earlier, but it wouldn't let me log in!**


	9. To Help Another

Silent Song

Chapter 8: To Help Another

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do own the original content.**

* * *

The sound of dogs barking in the distance awoke me from my slumber. I opened my eyes and blinked the bleariness out of my sight. When my vision cleared, I saw that I was in an unfamiliar room.  
I sat up, glancing around the space. It was small; a twin bed pushed against the wall with a side table and a window were the furniture in the room. My bag sat in corner.

Yawning, I stretched out my muscles. My legs were sore from yesterday's running around. I slowly stood up, arching my back. It made a cracking noise and the stiffness went away. I kicked my leg over my head, onto the wall. I leaned into it, feeling the muscles burn.

I repeated process to my other leg. When I was done, I finally noticed my attire. I was still wearing my dress from the day before. It was wrinkled from me sleeping in it. My cloak was draped over the bed, and my bandanna sat on the side table. I didn't remember much from the night before-only what had happened with the impostors and Belsio letting us stay with him-, so I assumed that I had been too tired to properly get undressed.

I dug through my belongings, taking note that I needed to do laundry. After picking out a clean set of undergarments and a dress, I grabbed my toiletries and tied on my bandanna. I slowly opened the door. The sun had only risen a little, so I was guessing everyone else was asleep. A quick peek around the house told me so.

I finally found the bathroom at the end of the hallway. The bathroom had a shower, along with a sink and toilet. A mirror that swung open to reveal a cabinet sat above the sink. It looked relatively clean, considering only one person used it.

I undressed and stepped into the shower, shivering at the water as it heated up. I scrubbed at my hair, taming the snarls that had formed while I slept. The floral scent of the soap calmed me. It reminded me of a calmer time in my life. It was the same scent I had used for most of my life: peonies.

I showered quickly, not wanting to waste the hot water. I dried myself off and then got dressed. I let my hair stay loose, since it was still early and would dry faster that way.

After putting my belongings back in the room, I rummaged through the kitchen. It was well stocked; more than enough to feed one person. A bowl of lemons sat in the table. They were ripe and I could smell their citrusy scent.

Inspired, I heated up the oven and took out flour, sugar, milk, and some other ingredients. I stirred them together in a bowl, before adding in some freshly squeezed lemon juice. This made a thick muffin batter. After checking a few drawers, I found a muffin pan. In a grown man's home.

Some people never ceased to amaze me.

I rubbed oil over the pan, and then scooped the batter into it. I checked to see if the oven was done preheating. It was, so I put the muffins in and set up a timer.

While I was waiting for the muffins, I washed the dishes. Not that I had made a mess if the kitchen, but it looked like it needed organizing. The cooking had taken my mind off what had happened the day before, but washing dishes didn't distract me as much.

It was odd, how someone could so easily impersonate Edward and Alphonse. Most people had already heard about the characteristics of the brothers: the older one had a bad temper and the younger one wore a suit of armor. Not mention that a state alchemist would have the pocket watch for identification. The town didn't look too rural that they didn't know what it was.

I was so deep in thought; I didn't notice someone else enter the room. "Good morning."

I jumped and whirled around, ready to fight. It was Belsio. I calmed down when I saw who it was.

He put up his hands. "No need to get worked up. Are the boys up yet?"

I shook my head, returning to my cleaning. I finished up and dried the dishes using a towel. After setting the dishes back in the cabinets, I checked the timer. Belsio took a peek in the oven. "Are those muffins?"

I nodded. He stared at me, as if waiting for me say more. It was one of those awkward moments when someone hadn't figured out I was mute. I pointed to my throat and shook my head. His gaze softened. "What kind of muffins are they?"

I gestured toward the lemons in the table. He picked one up and said, "It's a shame that all the lemon farms closed down. God knows how much they could help us now."

I tilted my head in confusion. He continued. "Everyone got obsessed with the gold, so they spent all their time mining it. But eventually, the gold dried up. They refused to let it go, and they found someone who could make a Philosopher's Stone to produce more." He shook his head sadly. "I tried to tell them to let go of the past, but they don't want to."

The aura in the room dimmed. Sometimes, the last was the hardest to let go of. The past was familiar, comforting. But if one never truly moved on from it, they would never be able to go forward. It was a fatal flaw that so many people had.

The loud "ding" of the timer jolted me out of my thoughts. I grabbed a pair of oven mitts and took out the muffins. Then, I placed the pan onto the cooling rack I had set up. They smelled wonderful.

The muffins were still too hot to eat, but they cooled down fast. I waited a few minutes, absent-mindedly playing with my hair, and then eased one muffin out of the pan. I broke it in half, offering one to Belsio. He took it with a nod of his head, and popped it in his mouth.

"It's good," he said, after trying it. I followed suite. "Looks like you have a knack for cooking."

I smiled proudly at his praise. Most people complimented me on my cooking, yet I still felt pride whenever they did.

The door swung open. "Good morning, Uncle Belsio."

It was Elisa. Belsio stood up. "If your father finds you here, he won't be happy."

She stepped into the kitchen and shook her head. "Not to worry. Daddy's too wrapped up in talk about the gold mine to even notice."

Her eyes landed on me. "Are you the girl with those alchemists yesterday?" I nodded to answer her question. "You shouldn't wear that hood. You're pretty."

I flushed at her compliment. Not sure what else to do, I offered her a muffin. She accepted it happily and started munching in it.

"Good morning." I heard from behind me. I didn't have to turn around to know that the Elric's had woken up.

"Hey," Elisa skipped over to them. "It's the make-believe Elric brothers."

I glanced over to find Edward's cheek swollen up, red with irritation. Elisa pointed at it. "That must hurt. Did somebody hit you because you were telling lies again?"

Edward yawned and then glared at the girl. "I'm telling you, we're not the impostors here, kid. But I did get clocked by one of them."

He looked up at me and I threw a muffin at him. He caught it, staring curiously at the pastry. His stomach growled.

"Wait," Elisa cried. "You don't mean you were the ones who snuck into Mugear's mansion last night, do you, pretend brothers?"

"Of course we did," Edward snapped at her. He took a bite of the muffin, speaking with his mouth full. I sighed. His manners were atrocious. "We couldn't just let those phonies run off with our names. Besides, it's a major crime to use a Philosopher's Stone to make gold. You're going down."

After finishing his rant, Ed shoved the rest of the muffin into his mouth. He chewed furiously.

Al set his hand in his brother's shoulder. "Brother."

Elisa was staring at the floor with a disappointed expression. Her bubbliness had dissipated, leaving her to face the harsh reality. I was guessing that she didn't know how much of a crime it was to transmute gold. The small town didn't have any alchemists, so they must not have learned that law. They never thought they would run out of gold.

Edward rushed past Elisa. "I'm going to see what I can find out in town.

He ran out the door, only stopping to grab a few more muffins.

"Brother!" Al reached out for him, but he was gone. Alphonse sighed.

"Hey, big guy." Belsio said suddenly.

Al perked up. "Yes?"

"How would you like to run down to the pharmacy for me today?"

"What do you need?"

"Elisa needs her medicine," Belsio stopped to think for a second. "And your brother? He could probably use a cold compress."

"Okay," Al agreed. He glanced at me. "Lark, do you want to come?"

I shook my head and mimed cleaning something. We had been traveling for a few days, and I suspected Edward needed some clean clothing, so I planned to do laundry. Though the gesture was general, Al didn't ask any further questions. Belsio handed him some money, and he was off.

Elisa cheered up again after a few minutes, chattering about a variety of things. Belsio and I listened, him asking questions and making remarks every once in a while. The two of them has a comfortable relationship. From what I had seen, there weren't many children around her age in the town, so she must have spent a lot of time with her uncle.

When breakfast was done, Belsio headed off to work in his lemon grove and Elisa went home. I cleared the table, nothing else to do. Belsio had offered to do it himself, but I had managed to shoo him off. Now, the house was silent, the only sound being the rushing water.

I finished washing the dishes, and dried my hands. Though I didn't really have to: I was planning on doing my laundry next. Underneath the kitchen cabinet, I found the tub used for washing clothes. I hauled it around, looking for soiled articles. The boys didn't pack much, with Alphonse having armor as a body. However, the clothes Edward wore were filthy. They reeked of sweat, and were covered in dirt.

I threw them inside the tub, being careful not to inhale. I gathered up my clothes, some soap, and dragged the tub outside. It was then filled with cold water from a faucet, followed by soap. Floral scented bubbles formed in the water. I scrubbed the clothing and rinsed them out, and then refilled the water to repeat the process, until the water became clear. I dumped out the rest of the water, leaving only the freshly cleaned garments inside the tub. The clothesline was already set up, so all I had to do was hang up the wet cloth. I carefully wrung out the water from a shirt, and then snapped my wrists to smooth out the wrinkles.

I hung them up to dry using clothespins, pinning them so the wind wouldn't blow them away. The sun shined like a fire from the cloudless sky, making me strip off my jacket. I tied it around my waist, and then wiped my brow with my bandana.

The last article of clothing was my cloak. It had been covered with grass stains and dust, so I decided to wash it. I pinned one end of it to the clothesline, and then realized there were no more clothespins. I let the cloak hang on one side, looking for another clothespin. The wind picked up, blowing my hair in my face. As I used my fingers to brush it away, I heard a loud whooshing sound. I turned back to see the cloak flying off towards the woodland.

I cursed inwardly, set the bucket down, and chased after the runaway garment. Hopping over roots, I ran into the forest. The cloak had settled onto a tree across a river. I came to a stop a few feet from the river. The river came down from a waterfall at the side of the mountain, from a hidden source. I walked around the area, looking for a crossing.

After searching for a few minutes, I found a collapsed tree. The tree had fallen across the width of the river, stretching from one end to the other. I hoisted myself onto it, taking a few experimental steps across it. When it didn't move, I scuttled over the trunk, onto the other side.

The cloak was stuck on a branch at the top of the tree. I circled it impatiently, looking for a branch low enough for me to climb. The lowest one was about two feet above me; I could have reached it if I took a running jump. So I did just that.

I grasped onto the rough bark, feet scrabbling on the trunk. I managed to pull myself onto the branch, hands raw from the bark rubbing against them. The branch held steady under the weight, not that surprising, due to my light frame.

Slowly, I began ascending the tree. I flipped myself onto nearby branches, stretching to grab ones further away. I had climbed many trees in my childhood, despite living near a desert. Percole had been an oasis, a good place to settle down. However, compared to the trees there, the one I was currently on was taller. Not that I minded; I wasn't afraid of heights.

My mind went blank as I scaled the tree, only focusing on which branches to grab. I barely noticed that I had made my way to the top, right next to the cloak. It fluttered like a flag, large and grand. I picked it up, being careful not to snag a hole in it, and began making my way down. When I got to the lowest branch, I jumped off of it, rolling my body so I wouldn't hurt myself.

As I brushed myself off, a thought came to me: I could have used alchemy.

I punched the tree in self-anger, clutching my hand back when the impact injured my knuckles. I immediately regretted my action. It seemed as if everything that day wanted to mess with me.

I neared the river, needing the water to clean the scratches. As I got closer, I noticed a strange smell coming from it. I scrambled to the edge of river, finding that the water was tinted red. Almost like I was in a trance, my uninjured hand reached out to touch the water.

"Hey! Stop!"

I snapped out of my haze. The voice had come from behind me. It was familiar, yet I couldn't place it. However, when I saw the person that the voice belonged to, I instantly recognized him.

It was the taller blond impostor from the day before.

He was about a yard away from me, but he was running towards me. I remained frozen with panic even as he snatched my hand away from the water. "Don't touch the water: it's poisonous!"

He spun around to face him. His voice softened. "Hey, I didn't mean to scare you. But that water is dangerous."

It struck me that he didn't recognize me. I remembered that I had been wearing a cloak when I broke into his lab, the same cloak I had just saved. I tucked the cloak under my arm, and then cocked my head at his warning.

He released my hand and stepped back. "It has some byproducts from our experiments." He extended his hand toward me. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I'm Edward."

Pushing down the urge to slap him for using Ed's name, I tentatively smiled at him and shook his hand. I winced when the movement caused pain to radiate up my arm. He saw my expression and inspected my hand. He took out something red, still holding my hand. "Stay still for a second."

I did what he told me, curious to see what he was going to do. The item glowed, and I felt the skin mending itself. I took in a quick breath, realizing that it was the stone he had used the night before. "Edward" let go of my hand, and I flexed it, stretching out the stiff joints. I inclined my head towards him, a silent "Thank you".

He nodded, as if waiting for me to say something. I pointed to my throat and shook my head, hoping he got the hint. He stared at me in confusion, but a moment later, his eyes lit up with understanding.

The blond haired boy remained silent for a few seconds, and then he dug through his pockets, searching for something. He held out his hand, a crumpled piece of paper and a pen in it. "Can you write?"

I took the paper and pen, smoothed out the wrinkled sheet, and wrote: "Of course I can. My name is Lark. I'm new here." I didn't feel like lying about my name, nor did I expect myself to stay there for long. I showed him the writing, and he said, "It's nice to meet you, Lark. What are you doing out here alone?"

"My laundry ran away from me." I wrote. He read it and laughed. Despite he had stolen my friend's identity; I could feel myself warming up to him.

"Well," he chuckled. "Do you need to find a way out of the forest?"

Only after he had mentioned it, I noticed that I had absolutely no idea where I was. I had been too busy chasing after the cloak to figure out where I was. I nodded my head gratefully.

"Ed" turned to the riverbank and set his hand on the ground. A large area of light glowed beneath the water, followed by a bridge rising out of the river. My eyes widened, but other than that, I showed no signs of surprise. He looked back at me, and held out his arm. It was an odd gesture, but I looped my arm through his.

We crossed the bridge, and he led me through the forest. Once in a while, he would point out a plant or animal to me. If it hadn't occurred to me before, it certainly became clear to me now: he was trying to impress me.

It wasn't as if a boy hadn't flirted with me before. It was just that I usually brushed it off. Back in Percole, I would be too busy to pay attention. They would eventually take the hint and stop. However, this time, I was in close proximity with the boy. The impostor wasn't that bad looking either. He was taller than me; with a long swoosh of hair, and mysterious eyes.

I blushed a little bit when I realized I had been staring at him. I wasn't interested, but I did know what attractive looked like.

We were able to find our way back to town, a little ways away from Belsio's backyard. It was fine with me. Xenotime was a small town; the impostors probably had already heard about the real Elric's staying at Belsio's. The boy beside me slipped his arm out of mine and asked me: "Can you find your way back?"

I dipped my head in a nod. "Edward" continued. "Well, I have to find my brother. We have some things to do." He started walking away. "I hope we can see each other soon." With a wink, he was on his way.

I felt my lips tug up in a smile. Impostor or not, this guy was definitely smoother than Edward Elric.

* * *

After finishing my laundry, I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for food and picking up supplies. Since I had a hood over my face the day before, none of the villagers recognized me. By the time I got back to Belsio's house, the brothers were already there. Right when I came in through the front door, Ed stomped up to me and said, "There's something we need to talk about."

I couldn't help but think that he had seen me with his impersonator. I studied the boy's face, and found no anger in his expression. So he didn't see.

Holding up my groceries in front of me, I moved past Edward, towards the kitchen. He followed me impatiently, waiting until I had closed the cabinets. Then, he grabbed my arm and dragged me to his room, where Alphonse was. He deposited me next to Al on the bed, checked the hallway, and shut the door.

"Hi, Lark," Al greeted me cheerfully, with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "How was your day?"

I ignored the skittish aura around him and shrugged indifferently. Edward came to stand in front of us. "Now's not the time for small talk."

I raised a brow at him, questioning his military-style tone. He coughed a little bit, and settled back into his normal way of speaking. "Today, around town, that impostor was fixing everybody's tools and transmuting wheels."

Confusion clouded my face. However, Ed's next statement explained it all. "The thing is; he wasn't obeying the law of equivalent exchange. He was creating materials out of nothing."

A smirk found its' way onto his face. "Tonight, we're going to sneak in again."

I frantically scribbled in a piece of paper I found in the room. Al read it for me. "'Isn't it too soon?'"

"Exactly," Edward replied. "They won't be expecting us."

I didn't complain. How could I? With his devious grin, he didn't look like a person to be argued with.

That night, after the lights in the house went out, Ed, Al, and I snuck out the back door, and up the mountain. We managed to find our way back to Mugear's mansion, and while the guards weren't looking, we made our way across his yard.

Edward popped his head out from the side of the building. He glanced around, searching for anyone who could see us. Compared to the night before, security had definitely tightened around the place.

He turned to face us. "Tonight, we're going to try operation Mole Hole."

"Mole Hole?" Alphonse asked, bewildered by the "operation".

To answer his question, Edward transmuted a hole in ground. He jumped in, gesturing for us to get in as well.

"Um, you first, Lark." Alphonse said awkwardly, disconcerted with his brother's odd plans. Though I was as well, I leapt into the hole.

I landed on my feet, shoes sinking into the soft dirt. Edward had already made a tunnel, but I had to crawl to move around.

"This way," he whispered, holding a lamp. "Just follow the tunnel."

I gritted my teeth, and started inching along in my hands and knees. I made a mental note to myself to get clothes more designed for moving around when I got to East City. The dress I was wearing wouldn't show my undergarments if I bent down, but it did drag along the dirt.

A metallic thump from behind told me that Alphonse had joined the party. I whistled quietly for him to go in the tunnel. He started crawling as well, armor emitting clunks and clangs.

The tunnel started moving upwards, causing me to have to dig into the dirt to keep from slipping. This only furthered the fact that I would have to do more laundry the next day. At a certain point, Edward stopped and declared: "By my calculations, we should be at the center of the mansions right now."

"Are you sure?" Al called from behind me.

"No," Ed admitted. "But we got to come out somewhere."

With a flash of blue light, an opening appeared at the end.

"We're in!" Edward exclaimed. He set the lantern down and hauled himself up. I did the same with ease, but ended up having to expand the hole so Al could go through. We struggled for a few moments, trying to not make any noise, but in the end, he made it to the surface.

I slumped against the wall, panting for breath. I felt a little light headed, but I did get a good look at where we came up. We had resurfaced in the middle of a tunnel, the end of it a few yards away. A steam of red water ran through one side, the yet was pavement. The air was heavy, and smelled familiar.

"What is this?" Al took a glance around.

Edward was studying the red water. "So, that's their plan. I think this is the chemical used to produce the red stone."

"What red stone?" Alphonse asked.

"I remember reading something about it in the library in Central," Edward replied. "It's a theoretical solid pumped full of alchemical catalysts. You put this red water under a few mega tons of pressure, and it turns to stone."

"The Philosopher's Stone?"

"No, more like a cheap imitation. I think, some alchemist named Nash or something was researching the red stone. But in the end, it never panned out." Edward finished his sentence, and started coughing.

"Brother!" Alphonse cried, alarmed by the hacking.

I had heard about the red stone in my parents journals. However, according to their research, the red stone had been made, but they had drastic side effects. My eyes widened.

The red water emitted a toxic gas. If someone breathed in too much of it; they would die.

"I'm having trouble breathing..." Edward fainted.

Al caught him, shaking his shoulders. "Brother! Brother!"

He turned towards me. Something in my mind flashed. Red smoke. A dark hallway. People yelling. I staggered around, searching for the wall. The poison was starting to have its effect on me, causing me to have hallucinations. I quickly pulled my handkerchief over my face to prevent more toxins from entering my body.

"Lark!" Al cried when he saw me get unsteady. "Are you okay?"

"This way!" someone called. A figure stood in the doorway at the end of the hall.

"Who's there?"

"It's me. Come on! Hurry!"

"Fletcher." Alphonse mumbled before scooping Edward and me up in his arms, and ran toward the light.

The opening led to another room. Our savior shut the door after us, and then locked it. He turned to face us. Despite the mask covering half his face, I could tell it was the other impostor from the day before, the younger one. Ed's impersonator had called him his brother. Alphonse had called him Fletcher.

The boy ran to a table beside us, and started rifling through the contents in it. He grabbed two vials off the top, uncorking them as he came back. He handed one to me, then one to Al. I gulped it down without question, trusting that the little boy wouldn't poison me any further. Al tipped Ed's head back, and poured the contents down his throat.

Edward sputtered a bit, but didn't wake. After a few moments, color returned to his face, and his breathing cleared. I calmed my breathing, but still remained dizzy. I looked back and forth between Al and the little boy, wondering what their relationship was.

Alphonse saw my bewildered expression and explained. "Lark, this is Fletcher. We talked this morning when I went to get Elisa's medicine."

Fletcher tipped his head. "I'm sorry for all the trouble Brother and I caused you."

"He and his brother just wanted to continue their father's research," I shot the little boy a sympathizing glance. "He spent his entire life in it."

A groan sounded from Al's lap. We all leaned over, seeing that Edward was stirring.

"Brother, are you alright?"

"Huh," Ed blinked hard. "Where-where am I, Al?" His eyes focused on the person beside us. "And what the hell is he doing here?!"

Fletcher backed away, whimpering under the waking boy's glare. "I'm sorry..."

"What are you sorry about?" Ed demanded, still disoriented. "What did you do?"

"No, Fletcher," Al spoke quietly to his impostor. "It's what you didn't do, isn't it? If you know something, tell us. I have a feeling you don't like what's going on here."

Fletcher stared down at the floor, not saying a word. Shame and guilt rolled off of him in waves. I wanted to comfort the small boy, but I didn't know what he did.

When he finally spoke he said: "The red water you saw, it's a toxic substance that's been polluting the whole town." I flashed back to the red tint in the water. It must have been the red water mixed into the stream water. I had no idea that it had gotten into the water supply of the town. "But it's the vital ingredient in creating the red stone."

"Is that why the people of Xenotime have been coughing so badly all the time?" Al questioned.

"I'm so sorry!" Fletcher burst into tears. His little body shook with the burdens he carried. I rubbed his back, hoping I could calm him down.

Ed stood up and brushed himself off.

"First things first," he declared unsympathetically. "Let's demolish this lab."

"I can't let you do that after we finally created a red stone." A familiar voice rang out across the room. We all whirled around, only to find Edward's impersonator standing by the main door. In his hand, he held the red stone. "My father gave everything he had to do this, Mr. Elric. If you think I'm going to give up now, you're quite mistaken."

His eyes flickered over my face, surprise coating his features. "You're the girl from earlier today! You're with them?" A realization passed over him. "You were the person in the cloak yesterday!"

"We can talk about that another time," Edward snarled. "So you care that much about a piece of lame costume jewelry?"

Wordlessly, the impostor pocketed his stone and placed his hand on the desktop lamp beside him. There was a flash of light, and the lamp became a jet-black sword.

Ed smirked. "Ha! A fake sword from a fake Stone, huh? I think I can top that."

That said, he clapped his hands together. He put his hand in his right arm, the automail one, and the top of it became a blade that expanded past his hand. Edward charged at his opponent, yelling furiously.

The other boy was just as quick, blocking the blow with his sword. They struggled for a few moments, until a crack appeared on the impostor's blade. Edward saw, and his eyes lit up with the promise of victory. "Mine's the genuine article."

Before the sword could completely break off, the fraud kneed him in the stomach. Using the momentum, Edward flew back towards us, landing neatly on his feet. While he did that, the imitator created a hose out of the door.

Ed ogled at it. "What the-?"

"Red water straight from the tap," the other boy said maliciously. "If you're doused with it, you're a goner. You'll lose a lot more than your consciousness."

"Fine. Let it rain." With another clap, Edward transmuted his automail arm into a mini-umbrella.

The impersonator twisted the knob, and red water gushed out of the hose. He directed it toward Ed, causing the water to splash all over the area. The umbrella blocked the rush, but I flinched back. It was getting out of control!

"Ed, this is crazy!" Al cried. I agreed with him. Unfortunately, with the way things were going, I wouldn't be able to jump in and save him.

"Your brother's right. Just go and you can live."

"Never. I'm not giving up to some naive kid who's desperate to be just like Daddy."

The masquerader gritted his teeth. Growling, he turned up the pressure of the water. The force of it pushed Edward back. Even more water spilled all over the floor. I backed away from the growing puddle of toxins.

Finally, the ground had become too slippery, and Edward lost his footing. I watched in horror as his body started plummeting towards the poison covered floor.

Before anybody else could react, Fletcher pushed the falling boy out of the way. Ed landed on his back, not touching the red water. But the damage was done. Fletcher had taken the brunt of the blow. He was completely drenched in the toxins.

Alphonse rushed over to the fallen boy's aside. His hollow body was impervious to the red water. "Fletcher! Fletcher, hang in there!"

The smaller child looked at his brother, face contorted in pain. "Brother, the reason Dad wanted to create the red stone was to bring happiness to people, and make their lives better. But what we've been doing here, it's actually making people suffer, hasn't it?" The older boy stared at the floor. "Don't you see the cost of forging that stone? It doesn't matter who gets the credit anymore. Because this isn't..." He paused for a moment, stumbling over his words. "Because Dad would be ashamed of what we've done."

Everybody stayed frozen in place, processing what Fletcher had just said. It was as if we had finally awoken from a dream.

Then, a piercing siren sounded out.

* * *

**Okay. now we are back on track. I hope you guys liked the Winter special. Sorry it took a lot of time to get it online. The site wouldn't let me log in, so I couldn't post until they fixed it. And then the site broke again...**

**Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed, favorited, and followed. To those who didn't: Please do so. It would mean so much to me if you gave me feedback. There's 25 followers now, and I'm so glad that you guys are following, but it wouldn't hurt to take some time to write a review.**


	10. Invitation to the Tiger's Den

Silent Song

Chapter 9: Invitation to the Tiger's Den

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do own the original content in here.**

* * *

The red liquid crept slowly down the floorboards. Everyone was suspended in time, it seemed. The shrieking alarm cut through the silence, followed by the banging of the door.

"Mr. Elric!" someone on the other side shouted. "Is everything alright in there?"

Both the real Edward Elric and the fake flinched.

"Yeah, I'm fine," The taller of the two regained his composure. He muttered to himself: "Told them not to bother me."

The true Edward scoffed. "Maybe they don't really trust you."

When the other didn't react, he added snidely, "Though I can't see why, except for, you know, lying about who you are."

While Ed wasted his time bothering his counterpart, I surveyed the room. We needed an exit for a quick escape, and my body had steadied, so I walked about the room. The door we had come in through was too dangerous. If we tried to use it again, Ed and I risked getting poisoned again, because we didn't have any gas masks or the antidote. Plus, the guards would have found our little mole hole by now.

A large window caught my eye. I crept to it, flattening my back against the wall next to it. I peeked through it, and found that it was only one story up, with nobody watching.

The sound of something being transmuted brought me back to the commotion in the room. Fletcher, covered in the red water, had blocked the main door using alchemy. Tree roots spread over the entrance, almost obscuring the wall from view.

Edward took advantage of the situation. "Let's run for it," This was directed toward Alphonse and I. "Hurry."

"Brother-"

"If they catch you, we'll all be in trouble," Fletcher interrupted, practically begging us. "So please get out of here quickly. I promise I'll explain everything later."

Reluctantly, Al nodded. The sound of people beating against the door told us to hurry.

"Alright," Ed looked around for an exit. "Let's go."

I gestured toward him, and then deconstructed the glass using alchemy. With one last glance at the impostors, I leaped out. I landed in the ground quietly, as stealthy as a cat. Edward and Alphonse followed me, Al landing with a crash. Ed and I both flinched at the sound. If the security hadn't been busy trying to break down the door, they would have swarmed us.

I took a chance, and sprinted across the open yard. People were yelling, but I kept running. After about fifty yards, I slowed down, the brothers stopping with me. I ducked behind a tree, still paranoid somebody had followed us. When nobody came yelling after us, I relaxed.

We slowly made our way back to Belsio's house. The back door was unlocked, so we crept in quietly. I had expected Belsio to already have gone to bed, and I nearly had a heart attack when I hear somebody say: "A lot of excitement up at the mansion tonight, huh, kids?"

Belsio sat in the living room, softly tending the fire.

Edward laughed nervously. "You don't say."

"Second night in a row. There's not much hope for you, is there?" There really wasn't if Ed remained such a bad liar.

The sound of somebody coughing in the other room caught my attention. It attracted the others', as well.

"Is Elisa still here?" Alphonse questioned.

"Her father's going to be furious, but she wanted to stay here. Like you, she won't listen to reason," Of course he spun this towards us. "I had no choice with her coughing like that, so I put her to bed."

The reason for her coughing was unbeknownst to him. The brothers and I exchanged a look, and we silently decided tell Belsio about what we saw up in the mansion.

"Have you heard of red water?" Ed asked, suddenly. I tilted my head in concern. The question was so sudden; did the toxins already get to his brain?

Belsio flicked on the light as I went into the kitchen to make some tea. As I waited for the water to boil, I heard him say: "Red water?"

"They want to crystallize it to into a red stone, an alchemic amplifier. Stupid," Ed muttered to himself. "Compared to the Philosopher's Stone, it's a cheap imitation. They're wasting their time."

"He said his father put his whole like into that research." Al countered. He must have had a closer connection to Fletcher than I thought he did. Either that or he was thinking about his own father.

The teapot whistled, and I lifted it off the stove. After rummaging through the cupboards, I found some packets of black tea and three mugs. While I steeped the tea in the hot water, I listened to Edward brush his brother off.

"Yeah, yeah," he said flippantly. "Probably another lie."

"Unless," Belsio said quietly. "Maybe they're the sons of Nash Tringham."

Nash Tringham. The name was familiar to me. He was mentioned a few times in my parents' notes, an alchemist seeking to create a Philosopher's Stone, but only succeeded in making a mess. He wasn't put down as the red water's creator, but if one connected the dots, the clues would line up. I frowned at the thought, reorganizing my thinking so they made sense.

"Nash Tringham?" Ed asked. He had apparently heard of him, too. I remembered him saying something about Nash in the tunnel. "You mean that theorist I read about? The guy who came up with the idea?"

I put the cups on a tray and brought it into the living room. I handed one to Edward and Belsio, and then settled onto the couch beside Ed. He muttered a "Thanks", blowing gently on the hot water. Belsio took a sip, and started his story. "He grew up in Xenotime, just like me. He only moved to Central to put his research together on the red water. He was gone for years." His eyes stared faraway, at something we couldn't see.

"And then one night, he just showed up again out of the blue. It was raining that night. He'd left behind everything that mattered to him. But he wouldn't tell me a word on what happened in Central. He was a wet, wounded animal ready to be pounced on, and the town's biggest land baron Mugear had made his fortune smelling blood."

"Ultimately, he gave in. Secluding himself in Mugear's mine, he resumed research. And as the land baron promised, the town was once again lit by gold. Furnaces were aflame; vendors filled the streets with their wares. Life returned to the people."

"But at the same time, a mysterious plague began to spread. We had all the money we wanted, but we couldn't but a cure. Many babies succumbed to the disease soon after birth."

"Elisa was born then," Edward interjected. I nodded thoughtfully in agreement: Elisa's coughing was something I had never seen before.

Belsio nodded and continued. "When she was a baby, an alchemic doctor named Marcoh passed through town and took a look at her. He took something out of his bag, and there was a flash of light. Elisa wasn't cured, but she lived through it."

We goggled at him; the description of the object was familiar.

"It glowed?" Edward said.

"Yes." We all looked at each other in excitement.

"The doctor's tool," Alphonse murmured. "Could it have been the real thing?"

Belsio shrugged. "Whatever it was, we have the treatment to thank for Elisa's survival. I hounded Nash all about the red water. One day, spontaneously, Nash told me how much harm he had done with the red water. I pressed for more, but he wouldn't talk. That was the last time anyone saw him. Soon after, the gold dried up, and the town was once again on the decline."

"If those are indeed Nash's boys, they must have come in search if their father. Or his work." Belsio finished his story.

I took a sip of my tea, surprised to see that it had gotten cold. The others remained silent, until Ed stood up and said: "I need some fresh air."

He went out the door, towards the lemon orchard. Al and I followed him, not sure what else to do.

Ed was reclining on a branch in a tree, staring up at the stars. The night was cool, and the air around us smelled of lemons. We came up beside him, Alphonse standing, and me crouching next to the tree.

"Brother?" Al said suddenly.

Ed glanced at him. "What is it?"

"Is it wrong? They wanted something to bring them closer to their dad."

The more that I thought about it, the closer it seemed to my situation. After my parents' death, Glory and I had pored over their old notes and journals, desperate to find something. We hadn't been looking for anything specific, just something that we could cling on to. Not unlike Fletcher and his brother. Or maybe even possibly the Elric's and their father.

I didn't know much about their father, just that he had left them and their mother when they were young. They never gave a reason; perhaps they didn't know.

"Please, Al," Edward scoffed. "They're just using their father to justify their own selfish causes."

"Maybe. But is it really all that different from what we're doing?"

Ed sighed. He looked just as stumped on the question as I felt. Though it wasn't directed at me, I still got a bit of the sting.

"All I'm saying is: I know how they must feel."

* * *

The next day, a messenger from Mugear appeared at Belsio's doorstep. I was up early, as usual, folding the dried clothes, and then I heard knocking at the front door. Since no one else was awake to do it, I answered the door. A man in a guard's uniform stood outside the house.

"Is this where the Elric's are staying?" He asked. He must have heard it from town.

I nodded. He fished a letter out of his pocket. "This is from Mr. Mugear, addressed to Mr. Edward Elric. He wants to see him at his earliest convenience."

I took the letter, and the man bowed. He left without another word, leaving me to wonder what had just happened.

I shut the door quietly behind me as I entered the kitchen. I tossed the letter onto the kitchen table, next to the pancakes I had just made. As I took a bite of one, I realized something.

Everybody thought Fletcher and his brother were the real Elric brothers, so why was this letter here?

Dread filled me. Even though the boys had stolen their identities and I barely knew them, I was still worried. Something must have happened to them.

I snatched up the letter and rushed down the hall to Ed and Al's room. I knocked on the door repeatedly, until Alphonse answered.

"Good morning, Lark," He saw the stricken expression I had on my face. "What's wrong?"

I handed him the letter. He took it and flipped it over to the side that said: "Mr. Edward Elric".

"We should probably show this to Brother." I nodded.

Al let me into the room and shut the door gently behind. He then crossed over to the bed, where Ed was still sleeping.

"Brother, wake up." Al said gently. Edward was sprawled out across the bed, sheets tangled up. One pillow lay beneath his head, the other trapped in his arms. He made no motion that he has heard his brother.

Al poked his flesh arm. "Come on, Ed."

Still no response.

I grabbed Ed's shoulders and shook him. The boy just rolled over in his sleep, away from me. I jabbed a finger at his cheek, and he opened his mouth a little bit. He really was a sound sleeper.

Getting impatient, I snatched the pillow he was holding away. When he still stayed dead to the world, I hit him in the face with it as hard as I could.

"What the-" Edward shot up. He looked around and saw me wielding the pillow. "What the hell was that for?!"

I placed a finger over my lips, telling Ed to quiet down. We didn't want to wake Elisa and Belsio. I glanced over at Al. "There's something important we need to talk about," he answered for me. "We had to wake you up, so Lark just did what she had to."

Ed lowered his voice. "What is the thing that's so important you had to hit me in the face?"

Alphonse gave him the letter. "Lark got it this morning. It's for you."

Edward squinted at the letter. Hurriedly, he tore it open and began reading it to us all out loud in a hushed tone.

"'Mr. Edward Elric, I apologize profusely for the mistake I have made. I genuinely believed that the boys here were the real Elric's. They had tricked us into thinking they were you and your own brother. When I heard you were in town, I became suspicious. I did not know which to believe. However, the impostors have been found, and I have detained them. I am sorry for the trouble they have caused you.'"

Edward cleared his throat, coughing "liar" into his hand, and began reading again. "'On another note, I need another alchemist to continue the research I have been doing. I hope that you can help me. If you are interested, you can come up to my mansion any time during this week and discuss it with me. With regards, Mugear.'"

I took a minute to process what had happened. The letter did not go into much detail about how he found out they were fakes, or what the research was. But we already knew what it was. "So what are we going to do?" Al asked his brother.

Edward ran a hair through his loose hair, pulled out of his usual braid. "I need food first."

He glanced expectantly at me. I sighed, sort of expecting that answer, and pointed toward the kitchen. I stood up from where I was sitting on the bed and walked out of the room, so Ed could get properly dressed.

Edward emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, rubbing his damp hair. I had made more pancakes, steam rising off the stack piled on the plate on the middle of the table. Before Ed could grab one, I placed a fork and knife in his hand. He paused at my silent reminder to use his manners, and dug in.

Al sat down beside Ed. I offered him a plate, but he shook his head. I had noticed he didn't eat or drink before. Perhaps his metal body didn't need it. That brought up many other unanswerable questions, which I avoided thinking about it as much as possible.

I had already finished my breakfast, and Al wasn't eating anything, so we stared at Edward until he finished. About twenty pancakes later, he leaned back in his chair, satisfied with his meal. Al and I waited for him to start thinking. He was usually the one who came up with plans to do crazy things. "Have you thought of what to do yet, Brother?" Al spoke first, considering the fact I couldn't.

Edward smiled, golden eyes lighting up deviously. "We're definitely going back there. Those fakes haven't paid the price of stealing the Fullmetal Alchemist's name, yet."

Maybe it was a bad idea to let him come up with the plan.

* * *

That afternoon, we headed over to Mugear's mansion. It was strange seeing the place when it wasn't dark. The mansion was large, much larger than my old home, which had been pretty big. Just looking at it made me feel nervous. We'd broken into it twice, and I was afraid someone would recognize us.

However, no one chased us down, or tried to attack us. I relaxed a little bit, glad that the first step to Ed's plan was in place. He knocked on the large wooden door, rapping it three times, and then going back for a fourth. Before his closed fist could connect with the door, it swung open. Edward froze, his hand just inches away from hitting the person who answered the door.

Said person was a young man dressed in a guard's uniform, the same one from this morning. His eyes out up with recognition when he saw me, but he still demanded: "Who are you, and what is your business here?"

Ed glared up at him. "I am Edward Elric. Mugear sent for me."

The man stared back. "Do you have proof?"

Ed thrust the letter at him without breaking eye contact. "Is this good enough for you, pal?"

The man broke off his staring contest with the blond to inspect the letter. Once he decided that it was real, he let us into the house.

"Mr. Mugear is in the lab waiting for you," he told us stiffly. "Follow me."

The lab Mugear was in was different than the one from the day before. This one was much smaller and had less open space. An older man was by a desk, inspecting a vial of something. He turned around when the guard said, "Mr. Mugear, the visitors are here."

The man, who I was guessing was Mugear, nodded at him. "You may go now." The guard did what he was told; casting one last wary glance at Ed. Ed ignored him, his attention on the man before us.

Mugear didn't look impressive. He was middle-aged, with gray hair and a thick mustache. His stomach protruded a little bit, showing that he had a rich diet. He looked at us greedily, probably already imagining how much money we would make for him. I didn't like him.

Apparently neither did Ed. He put a bored expression on his face when Mugear started speaking to us.

Without bothering to ask for our names, he began talking. "I'm so sorry those impostors stole your identities. I was completely fooled by them. We all were, I'm ashamed to say. The last thing I want to do is add insult to injury. But since you two really are such accomplished alchemists, there's a matter I would like some help with."

He was completely ignoring me. It was like I wasn't even in the room. I hid my annoyance, resolving to hit him in the head with a block later.

Ed raised an eyebrow at the man. "Something with red water, by chance?"

"Oh! So you have heard about it. That will spare me from having to explain," Mugear made no motion to ask how we knew. "The truth of the matter is; I've done my research as well, and I happened to hear some rumors that you're interested in the Philosopher's Stone."

He dug through his pocket and drew something out. It was a small, red stone. The stone caught the light, reflecting it.

Ed remained uninterested. "Uh huh."

"What do you think, Edward? It's the product of crystallized red water. A prototype for the prize you're after."

"So what do I do with that?"

A glint of greed passed through Mugear's beady eyes. "First of all, together we can save Xenotime. Once we revitalize the gold mine, this town can get back on its feet again."

"Sounds like a good cause," Both of them were lying through their teeth now. I was wondering how long Ed could keep up his farce. "So, where are the fakes?"

"Taken care of. They're in the cellar."

Edward clapped his hands together and reached for the stone Mugear was holding between his fingers. With a tap, Ed completely destroyed the stone, the solid vaporizing into the air.

Mugear was outraged. "What did you do that for?!"

"We'll talk about the unfinished work later. First, we execute those prisoners," A dark shadow came over Ed. "We state alchemists aren't the type to forgive liars."

"Oh," Mugear looked taken aback. "Then you're accepting my request for assistance."

"I told you I wanted to take care of those pathetic kids first," Ed snapped at the older man. "It's been a good while since I killed anyone. I kind of miss it."

Edward had an expression of pure insanity pasted on his face. His eyes wide and unblinking, mouth twisted into a sadistic grin. Though I knew it was an act, I still had to stifle the urge to lock him in a dark room and throw away the key.

"You want to watch?" That question was directed at Mugear, who jumped back and pressed himself flat against the wall.

"Uh. No thanks. I'll let you take care of it." Mugear called a guard over to take us to the "prisoners". As we walked out of the room, a satisfied grin made its way onto Ed's face.

Step two done.

The guard led us to the door of the dungeon and let us go in alone. Apparently, he had heard Edward's disturbing declaration of his delight of killing and didn't want to witness it, which was the point we were working for. The plan wouldn't work if anyone saw us.

The stairs down into the dungeon were lit by torches. It was as if we had walked into a medieval castle. At the end of the staircase, there was a hall. It was lined with cells, the furthest one containing the other brothers. Ed grabbed the keys from the table at the other end and unlocked the cell.

Light flooded the cell. The two boys inside squinted, eyes focusing in us.

"Hi." Al said softly.

Fletcher recognized the voice and shot up in surprise. "Al, what are you doing here?"

Ed ignored the previous statements. He met the older boy directly in the eye. "I know who you guys are now. And I know your father was actually Nash Tringham. What I don't know is why you would so foolishly continue his work."

As Ed was speaking, I stepped into the cell. I crouched down next to the Tringham's, checking them for injuries and releasing their bonds. Fletcher showed no signs that he had been poisoned by the red water, so his brother must have healed him. However, both boys were covered in little scrapes and bruises, as well as some rope burn. They must have been beat up by Mugear's men. I immediately set to work, sealing up cuts and repairing blood vessels with alchemy.

"Because it was his dream," said the older Tringham. He and his brother made no movements to stop me. "And as his son, it was my duty to see it through."

"So you honestly think this is why he wanted? You do realize the suffering the toxic water is causing the people of this town, you know," Both boys stared down at the ground in shame. "But your father realized it. That's why he chose to abandon his research, and I can tell you right now you won't find happiness chasing your father's failed dream."

"Live your own life. And stop with all the acting, trying to be someone you're clearly not," Ed gestured towards me. "Come on, Lark."

I got to my feet, finished with healing them, and nodded at the Tringham's. I followed Edward out of the dungeon, leaving the two boys to wonder whether or not to take Edward's words to heart.

Step three done.

* * *

**Unfortunately, this chapter and the next chapter are going to be a bit shorter. Originally, it was one long chapter, but I had to cut it up so everything wouldn't seem so out of proportion. **

**I'm also working on improving my writing. I just went back to my first few chapters, and edited them a little so everything went more smoothly. If you can, please reread them and send me a PM or review to give me critiques.**

**Per usual, thanks to those who reviewed, followed, and favorited. To those who didn't: Please do so.**


	11. From Red to Gold

Silent Song

Chapter 10: From Gold to Red

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do own the original content in here.**

* * *

Our guide must have been called away on other duties, because he wasn't there when we came back up the stairs. Never minding that, Ed already knew his way back to the lab. As we stood just outside the doorway, and I heard Mugear murmur to himself: "Not to worry. That was nothing compared to what these boys will fashion for me."

"Which boys? You mean us?" Mugear's head jerked toward Ed. "There's one more thing I've been wondering: whatever happened to Nash Tringham? Just in case we have any questions to ask him."

"Nash Tringham," The older man muttered darkly. "Oh! His research wasn't making progress anymore, so I had to let him go."

Edward stepped into the room, Al and I trailing after him. We all cast wary glances at Mugear.

"Huh. You don't strike me as the type of guy who lets someone who knows all his secrets just walk away clean."

The aura of the room had gone dark. "I'm afraid I missed the implication."

Edward glared at him. "I'm saying I don't answer to murders. You got that?"

Mugear dropped his act of cluelessness. "Really? Then in that case, you're not getting out of here alive." From behind his back he pulled out a strange contraption. It looked like a kettle made of glass, filled with a red liquid. He held the handle of it like a gun, and the end of it protruded like the barrel of one. "There are plenty of other alchemists I can use."

He fished something out of his pocket. I saw a small red stone wink at us.

"Another stone?" Al gasped.

"So he's got more than one of those things?" Ed cried.

This was not going as planned.

"It may not be as potent as that other one, but it will do." Mugear dropped the stone into the strange contraption in his hand. The metal expanded over his arm, and gunshots fired out of it.

I ran across the room to avoid being hit, ducking as low as I could, but he wasn't aiming at me. Al ran the other way, while Ed rolled right. The shots chased after him, and then suddenly stopped. Edward crouched down in front of the bookshelf.

"Is that all you've got?" he called out.

Mugear pulled out another handful of stones from his pockets, which seemed to have no bottom, an evil grin spread on his face.

"Bad question."

The crazed man cackled. "Didn't think I had more stones?"

He dropped them all in the weird container. It glowed, and more barrels grew out of the front.

Definitely not what any of us had expected.

"Oh crap!" Edward cried as bullets flew all over the place. We all dove behind a nearby column. The bullets stopped coming, so I peeked out from behind it.

"Can't hide for long!" Mugear called as he dumped more stones into the water. More gunshots sounded out and I ducked my head back behind the column.

"Yeah, I'd hate say it, but he's right," I looked to Ed. "We need a way out. And fast."

The firing suddenly stopped again. Mugear had run out of red stones, which apparently powered the entire thing. He reached for his pockets. "Not. Done. Yet."

He let out a cry of outrage when he realized vines were restraining him. My line of sight followed the greenery to their origin. The Tringham brothers were kneeling next to a pot, plants crawling out of it. They had used agricultural alchemy to accelerate the growth the vines and direct them to Mugear.

"Now's our chance!" Ed cried as he figured out what was happening. "Push!"

The column had been dramatically weakened by Mugear shooting at it. Even with our meager strength, we were able to push it over. With a loud crash, the pillar landed on Mugear. Dust swept through the room. I heard people all over the house shouting. I flinched when I realized that the impact would have killed him.

I had seen people die before. It was something that every doctor witnessed. I couldn't save everyone that needed my help, especially since I couldn't use my alchemy. It left me feeling sad, and just a little useless. But I had never killed another person on purpose, even though this was self-defense. The feeling was different. I was disgusted with myself.

The older Tringham's voice snapped me out of my trance. "Well, Ed, I do hate to interrupt, but you did need the help."

"Nah." Ed replied tonelessly. He was a proud person, refusing to admit he needed another's help. I could tell he was a little miffed that we had only survived due to the other boys.

The other boy laughed, and then stared at Ed defiantly. "We're not going to be chasing our dad's dream anymore. You were right. It's time we live our own lives."

It warmed my heart to see that the boys had finally reached their resolve. Everybody needed a purpose in their life. However, nobody else seemed too freaked out that they had just killed a man. How often did they do this?

Fletcher's eyes widened as the dust cleared. He pulled on his brother's sleeve. "Russell..."

"Brother..." Al said to Ed in the same intonation. He pointed to the ground.

Involuntarily, my eyes went to where he was pointing. I expected to see Mugear's broken body lying there, but instead, there was a set of stairs leading underground. He had escaped.

Relief flooded me, chased away by fear. If he had escaped, then he could still trick people into producing red stones for him. Did I really want him to be alive?

Ed swore. "A secret passage? Come on, guys. Time for a chase."

Before Edward could dart into the tunnel, the older Tringham brother- Russell, I believed that was his name- shoved gas masks into everybody's hands. Al waved it away. After all, he didn't have a body that could be poisoned.

"The air's toxic down there. It won't do you any help if you die on us."

Ed nodded to him, tugged on the masks, and headed down. I had no choice but to run after him. Being with the Elric's was a workout. My stamina had never been good, but the boys basically forced me to run everywhere, and I was always sore and tired from it. Yet, I still managed to keep up with the pace as we ran through the tunnels.

"Russell!" Ed yelled. "How much farther?"

"The spring the red water comes out of is just up ahead," Russell shouted back. "We're almost there!"

We all screeched to a stop upon seeing the entrance blocked off by an earthen wall. It was smooth, but still had signs of hasty alchemy.

Russell gritted his teeth. "Mugear! He blocked our path!"

"He forgot who he's dealing with!" Edward clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the wall. There was a flash of light and a hole formed on the wall.

Beyond there, I saw Mugear crouched down beside something. It flared, and a large projectile came flying at us. I ducked behind the wall, everybody else doing the same. The missile landed on a wall behind us, a loud crash ringing out.

"I'll never surrender the spring!" He cried. "As long as I have the red water, nothing can stop me! Least of all a diminutive state alchemist and his copycat friends!"

Ed straightened up, standing in the center of the hole he made, yelling: "Diminutive state alchemist? Points for the big word, but you're still going down!"

"Oh yeah?" Mugear snarled. He fired another projectile at us. Still crouched down, I placed my hands on the wall and closed it before the shell could hit us.

Dust flew everywhere when the missile collided with the wall. I crawled away just as it made contact, but the impact still shook me. I steadied myself by clinging onto another wall like it was a life preserver. Mugear wasn't so lucky. He was blown back by the blast, and landed on his back.

Edward, who had avoided being thrown back, stepped over the rubble. "You see now? Even with your stones, we're still on a whole other level."

Just as he finished his sentence, the ground started shaking like an earthquake was coming. When I tried to stay close to the wall, it threw me back. The entire mine was crumbling.

"Mugear!" Ed yelled over the rumbling. "What's going on?"

Rocks fell from above, getting larger by the second. I backed away from the entrance of the spring, where most of the heavy stones were falling. The others did the same, only Ed still stood in front of the fallen man.

"Ed, that's enough," Russell bellowed. "Let's get out of here!"

"Brother!" Al cried, trying to push through the rock to grab his brother.

Mugear got in his knees and crawled toward the fountain. He looked pathetic, a grown man crawling on his hands and knees for a broken possession. "I'll never surrender the spring!"

The red water sprayed everywhere; nearby surfaces were doused in it. The ground under it cracked, even of the liquid more flooding the tunnel. Edward turned on his heels and ran away from it all. The ground convulsed more violently. Mugear made his way to the top of the fountain, yelling and cursing at us all. He was silenced when a giant boulder crushed him. For good. I looked away in horror.

Without a second thought, I sprinted away from the approaching wreckage. There was nothing else I could do. The others ran after me.

Russell stopped abruptly, head tilted like he was listening for something. I glanced back at him, about to drag him with us, when he yelled, "Rushing water. The red water's overflowing!"

The rest of us kept running, hearing the roaring as well. Ed managed to stop for a second and create a barrier, and then catch up to us. "That should hold it for now."

I shook my head furiously, hair falling out of my already messy braid. If the red water was coming as fast as it sounded, it wouldn't last a second.

"I did the best I could," Ed replied snappily. "We don't have much time."

"Won't it just come out somewhere else?" Al asked, a worried time in his voice.

My eyes widened. There was probably more red water than what was in the spring. I suspected this tunnel was under the mountain in the outskirts of town. The red water would come out through the mountain, and completely flood and contaminate Xenotime.

"That shock probably weakened the support beams." Russell shouted over the din. He hadn't heard Al's response. "We should leave."

Right as he finished, the light ahead told us that we had reached the end of the tunnel. We burst outside, just as the rest of the tunnel collapsed on itself. The tunnel exited near the top of the mountain, overlooking the forest and the town.

The light temporarily blinded me, and the running had made me out of breath. I looked behind, black spots dancing in my vision, at the cliff, and nearly had a heart attack. The red water was flowing like water falls down the rocks, into the forest, toward the town. So Al had been right.

I grabbed the people closest to me, Fletcher and Alphonse, and pulled them to the highest hill in sight, Ed and Russell trailing behind us. Edward saw the water running down the mountain, and quickly performed a transmutation. A large wall surrounded the area, enclosing the mountains in a circle. That would keep the red water from crashing into the village. The height of the water slowly rose, until it was just a few feet from over flowing. It wasn't high enough to reach our hill, but it still frightened me.

"Now them," Ed muttered, almost to himself. "We just need to find a drain."

Immediately, Fletcher ran downhill, out of my grasp, towards the mass of trees. He stopped at the nearest one, and pulled out a piece of chalk. He began drawing, chalk clacking on the tree bark. When he finished, I saw that he had made a transmutation circle.

Fletcher placed his hands on the circle, leaned his head on it, and concentrated. The circle began glowing green, a sign of agricultural alchemy. We all held our breath to see what would happen next.

The flood of red water started going down, the drain that Ed needed. Slowly, the trees themselves turned red.

"The trees are absorbing the red water," Ed voiced exactly what I was thinking.

"I saw something like this back in the lab." Al mentioned.

Edward nodded his head thoughtfully. "That's right. They were detoxifying red water with the plants."

I remembered the many plants that were in the labs. At the time, I had shrugged them off, thinking they were there for decoration. However, the Tringham's knew agricultural alchemy, so they must have known what to do with the plants.

Russell stepped behind Fletcher wordlessly. Fletcher looked up, eyes shining with pride. "See, it works."

"They pulled through. Well done." Russell gave Fletcher a soft, gentle smile, and placed his hands next to Fletcher's, the glow of the circle intensifying.

"Thank you, trees." Fletcher mumbled as the red water disappeared.

Slowly, the trees changed from a vibrant red to a crystalline blue. One by one, they shattered, blue pieces like glass flying through the air. And then they disappeared in the wind, only sparkling when they were struck by sunlight.

It was a beautiful work of alchemy. I had forgotten that it could be so breathtaking.

* * *

I reclined in the seat, thankful for the rest. I breathed out a sigh of content and then turned my head to face the window of the train.

The train had come through just hours after we saved the village from the red water. All that the villagers knew though, was that Mugear's mansion had crumbled from a terrible earthquake, taking him along with it. Edward decided that we needed to get on it, for his superior didn't appreciate Ed taking his sweet time getting to East City. In truth, I was itching to get there. It would be the first major city I would ever visit. Not to mention all my clothes needed to be traded out for more useful ones.

Elisa held up a basket of lemons to us. "Take them. They're from my uncle."

Elisa, Fletcher, and Russell had stopped by the train station to see us off. Belsio had been too busy, tending to his lemon tree grove. The other villagers hadn't known we were there, which we were taking as a good thing. They would have probably tried chasing us away with knives and pitchforks.

"Thank you very much." Al said as he took the basket, ever the polite boy.

"Stay out of trouble, you guys." Elisa reminded us with a crooked smile.

"Yeah, and come back to see us." Fletcher added.

"Of course we will." Alphonse answered.

I ignored their chattering, deeming it harmless. A more interesting conversation was happening between Edward and Russell.

"So you're sure you'll be able to make it in this town?" Ed asked the other boy.

Russell gave him a definite nod. "Belsio wants is to do work for him. Our agricultural alchemy should be useful around his farm," He leaned in closer to Ed and lowered his voice, but I still managed to catch a few words. "So, Ed, you'll hunt for the Philosopher's Stone after this?"

"…Yeah."

"If you want, I can tell you exactly how we crystallized the red stone."

Edward stared at him blankly. "But why?"

"It's not so much out of atonement, but just because you deserve to know." For once, Russell managed to look humble.

"Thanks a lot, Russell, but no thanks," Ed said confidently. "We'll find the real article on our own. You can count on that."

Fletcher joined into the conversation, despite having no idea what they had been talking about. "You'll see. When you guys come to visit, this town will be even better."

"Maybe you can teach me how to make those muffins, Lark," Elisa said to me. I smiled and patted her head with a nod. She giggled and glanced at Edward. "And by that time, I'll probably be taller than you."

"Come on; show a little respect for your elders!" Ed cried, while the rest of us dissolved in laughter. Not only was the way she had said it adorable, but it was probably true.

"I'm serious!" Ed yelled as the train began moving. The others stepped back, waving as we sped past them. Al and I stuck our heads out the window to bid them farewell. "Why's that funny, huh?"

He slumped back into his seat and glared between Al and me. We avoided eye contact with him, me whistling idly and staring at the empty seat in front of me, while Al became fascinated with the basket of lemons.

Giving up on bothering us, Ed eyed the basket, noticing something in it. "Hey, a letter."

"It's for us?"

"Yeah. Let me read," He plucked it out of the basket and unfolded it. We watched patiently as his eyes leisurely followed the words, until they bugged out at something he read. "What?!"

Al and I looked expectantly at him. "What does it say?"

"Drop it. It's nothing," Ed answered quickly, stringing his words together. "Okay?"

I scooted closer to Ed, and Al leaned in. "Oh?"

Al leaped at Ed, wrestling for the letter. "Let me see! Letmesee! Letmeseeletmeseeletmeesee!"

"Get away from me, Al!" Ed struggled in his brother's grip, thrashing to and fro. He pushed at the armor, barely even moving him. I searched for an opening where I wouldn't get crushed by the two of them. Ed's arms were flying all over the place, the letter clenched tightly. Taking my chances, I hovered over the seat, and grabbed at the piece of paper, like an animal fishing. There were only a few other passengers in the train, none of them close to us, and they all gave us strange looks.

I succeeded in snatching the letter, and settled into the seat near Alphonse. Holding the paper like a flag, I whistled for the boys' attention.

"Hey! Lark, you got it!"

"Give it back!" Ed jumped across the seats, but I planted my foot in his face and pushed him back. Defeated, he lay face down on his seat. "Ugh."

Al sat next to me, reaching for the paper. I stopped him with a hand, smoothed down the letter, and then handed it to him. He read aloud.

"'Ed, thank you for all the help and wisdom you have us. I'm sorry I was such a smart ass to you at first, but I am trying to be a better older brother to Fletcher, and I'll try hard to follow your example. I guess you being a year older than me makes a big difference. Well, have a good trip. Russell. P.S. Lark, next time your laundry flies away from you, just use your alchemy. It makes life so much easier.'"

I flushed a little bit at the note to me. So he had seen me climbing the tree like an idiot.

"Damnit," Edward moaned. "I can't believe he's a year younger than me, and so much taller. Life's so unfair."

"You think those two are going to be alright?"

"Yeah, they'll be fine. And we will, too."

Alphonse reread the letter, and turned to me. "What was that about flying laundry?"

I tapped my thumb on my lip twice.

_It's a secret._

* * *

**Next chapter's going to be the one everybody's been waiting for: Lark arrives in East City! I would threaten you guys to give me more reviews or I won't update, but I think I like getting my content looked at more. Oh, well.**

**Thanks to those who reviewed, followed, and favorited. To those who didn't: Please do so. I actually read the reviews and respond to those who write them to know how much I appreciate it.**

**Guess what? I have a Tumblr now! My timing's just impeccable; making a blog just when I should be studying for a bunch of important tests. My username's the same- the link's in my profile. I don't have much on it now, but I'll be posting sneak peeks of the chapters, art work I'm doing, and whatever's going through my head as I write. So, please follow!  
**


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